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We study the strong-field limit of a theory involving a quantum scalar field coupled to a vector background, which can be either an electromagnetic field or a non-gauge field coupled through the first derivative term. Our approach consists in obtaining resummed expressions for the associated heat kernels, from which we derive the corresponding resummed effective actions. These results allow us to discuss the effect of pair creation. Finally, we conjecture that resummations for more general theories should be possible., Comment: 12 pages. Contribution to: 17 Marcel Grossmann Meeting

We review recent discussions concerning the definition of a quantum field theory in a curved and noncommutative space, the Snyder--de Sitter space. For a quartic self-interacting scalar field in a spacetime of arbitrary dimension, we show how to perturbatively define the classical action in the small-deformation regime and give its explicit first-order expression. Afterwards, we compute the divergences of the one-loop effective action for the two- and four-dimensional cases. These are employed to calculate the beta functions of the couplings and to numerically analyze the corresponding renormalization group flow. Depending on the initial conditions of the couplings, in four dimensions it is possible to obtain an asymptotic-free theory or a flip in the sign of the cosmological constant as a consequence of the running., Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. Contribution to: Corfu Summer Institute 2023 "School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity" (CORFU2023)

The article by Anton E. M. van de Ven, Class. Quantum Grav. \textbf{15} (1998), is one of the fundamental references for higher-order heat kernel coefficients in curved backgrounds and with non-abelian gauge connections. In this manuscript, we point out two errors and ambiguities in the $\mathsf{a}_5$ coefficient, which may also affect the higher-order ones., Comment: 4 pages

In this letter, we prove the existence of resummed expressions for the diagonal of the heat kernel and the effective action of a quantum field which interacts with a scalar or an electromagnetic background. Working in an arbitrary number of spacetime dimensions, we propose an Ansatz beyond the Schwinger--DeWitt proposal, effectively resumming an infinite number of invariants which can be constructed from powers of the background, as well as its first and second derivatives in the Yukawa case. This provides a proof of the recent conjecture that all terms containing the invariants $F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}$ and $\widetilde F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}$ in the proper-time series expansion of the SQED effective action can be resummed. Possible generalizations and several applications are also discussed -- in particular, the existence of an analogue of the Schwinger effect for Yukawa couplings., Comment: 14 pages

The unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity has long been elusive. Only recently have empirical predictions of various possible theories of quantum gravity been put to test. The dawn of multi-messenger high-energy astrophysics has been tremendously beneficial, as it allows us to study particles with much higher energies and travelling much longer distances than possible in terrestrial experiments, but more progress is needed on several fronts. A thorough appraisal of current strategies and experimental frameworks, regarding quantum gravity phenomenology, is provided here. Our aim is twofold: a description of tentative multimessenger explorations, plus a focus on future detection experiments. As the outlook of the network of researchers that formed through the COST Action CA18108 "Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach (QG-MM)", in this work we give an overview of the desiderata that future theoretical frameworks, observational facilities, and data-sharing policies should satisfy in order to advance the cause of quantum gravity phenomenology., Comment: Submitted to CQG for the Focus Issue on "Quantum Gravity Phenomenology in the Multi-Messenger Era: Challenges and Perspectives". Please contact us to express interesst of endorsement of this white paper

We review recent discussions regarding the parity-odd contribution to the trace anomaly of a chiral fermion. We pay special attention to the perturbative approach in terms of Feynman diagrams, comparing in detail the results obtained using dimensional regularization and the Breitenlohner--Maison prescription with other approaches., Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to "Avenues of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime", Genoa, 2022. Partially based on 2101.11382 [hep-th]

In this manuscript, we will discuss the notion of curved momentum space, as it arises in the discussion of noncommutative or doubly special relativity theories. We will illustrate it with two simple examples, the Casimir effect in anti-Snyder space and the introduction of fermions in doubly special relativity. We will point out the existence of intriguing results, which suggest nontrivial connections with spectral geometry and Hopf algebras., Comment: Proceedings of the Corfu Summer Institute 2022 "School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity". Based on arXiv:2203.12286 [hep-th] and arXiv:2005.12610 [hep-th]. 26 pages, 1 figure

Motivated by recent experimental initiatives, such as at the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF) at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), we calculate the birefringent scattering of x-rays at the combined field of two optical (or near-optical) lasers and compare various scenarios. In order to facilitate an experimental detection of quantum vacuum diffraction and birefringence, special emphasis is placed on scenarios where the difference between the initial and final x-ray photons is maximized. Apart from their polarization, these signal and background photons may differ in propagation direction (corresponding to scattering angles in the mrad regime) and possibly energy., Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure

In this article we consider resummed expressions for the heat-kernel's trace of a Laplace operator, the latter including a potential and imposing Dirichlet semitransparent boundary conditions on a surface of codimension one in flat space. We obtain resummed expressions that correspond to the first and second order expansion of the heat-kernel in powers of the potential. We show how to apply these results to obtain the bulk and surface form factors of a scalar quantum field theory in $d=4$ with a Yukawa coupling to a background. A characterization of the form factors in terms of pseudo-differential operators is given. Additionally, we discuss a connection between heat-kernels for Dirichlet semitransparent, Dirichlet and Robin boundary conditions., Comment: 24 pages, version containing all the modifications introduced in the published article. Additions: discussion of zeroth order in V, connection of semitransparent boundary conditions with Dirichlet and Robin, extended discussion of renormalization

We consider local semitransparent Neumann boundary conditions for a quantum scalar field as imposed by a quadratic coupling to a source localized on a flat codimension-one surface. Upon a proper regularization to give meaning to the interaction, we interpret the effective action as a theory in a first-quantized phase space. We compute the relevant heat-kernel to all order in a homogeneous background and to quadratic order in perturbations, giving a closed expression for the corresponding effective action in $D=4$. In the dynamical case, we analyze the pair production caused by a harmonic perturbation and by a Sauter pulse. Notably, we prove the existence of a strong/weak duality that links this Neumann field theory to the analogue Dirichlet one., Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures

In this work we discuss the deformed relativistic wave equations, namely the Klein--Gordon and Dirac equations in a Doubly Special Relativity scenario. We employ what we call a geometric approach, based on the geometry of a curved momentum space, which should be seen as complementary to the more spread algebraic one. In this frame we are able to rederive well-known algebraic expressions, as well as to treat yet unresolved issues, to wit, the explicit relation between both equations, the discrete symmetries for Dirac particles, the fate of covariance, and the formal definition of a Hilbert space for the Klein--Gordon case., Comment: 18 pages

We revisit the conformal anomaly for a Weyl fermion in four dimensions that has generated some debate recently. We employ a perturbative expansion for the metric around Minkowski space, dimensional regularization and a Breitenlohner--Maison prescription for the chiral $\gamma$ matrix. We obtain a vanishing odd-parity contribution for Weyl fermions in four dimensions, while the even-parity contribution is exactly half the one for a Dirac fermion., Comment: v2 contains a note with additional references/comments added after the publication of the proceedings. 8 pages, 2 figures, contribution to The European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP2021)

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers., Comment: This review was written by participants of the COST Action CA18108. Further information on the review can be found at https://qg-mm.unizar.es/review/, updated to published version

We discuss several aspects of the stress-energy tensor for a quantum scalar field in an inhomogeneous background, the latter being modeled by a variable mass. Using a perturbative approach, dimensional regularization and adiabatic subtraction, we present all-order formal expressions for the stress-energy tensor. Importantly, we provide an explicit proof of the principle of virtual work for Casimir forces, taking advantage of the conservation law for the renormalized stress-energy tensor. We discuss also discontinuity-induced divergences. For the particular case of planar inhomogeneities, we corroborate the perturbative results with a WKB-inspired expansion., Comment: 38 pages, 1 figure

In this work we show that the cosmological lithium problem and the $H_0$ tension could be eased at the same time by allowing variations in the fundamental constants. We compute the primordial abundances of light elements resulting from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis considering the fine structure constant, the Higgs' vacuum expectation value and Newton's constant as free parameters. Using the observational data for abundances, we set constraints on the variations of the fundamental constants. An interpretation of the results in terms of the number of effective relativistic species gives $N_{\rm eff}=4.04\pm0.12$. If one extrapolates the fit of {\sffamily Planck} considering this $N_{\rm eff}$, the value of the inferred Hubble's constant shifts to $H_0=(71.85\pm0.77)\,\text{km}\,\text{s}^{-1} \text{Mpc}^{-1}$, compatible with current direct determinations., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables

We study the two-dimensional version of a quartic self-interacting quantum scalar field on a curved and noncommutative space (Snyder-de Sitter). We show that the model is renormalizable at the one-loop level and compute the beta functions of the related couplings. The renormalization group flow is then studied numerically, arriving at the conclusion that noncommutative-curved deformations can yield both relevant and irrelevant contributions to the one-loop effective action., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

We revisit the computation of the trace anomaly for Weyl fermions using dimensional regularization. For a consistent treatment of the chiral gamma matrix $\gamma_*$ in dimensional regularization, we work in $n$ dimensions from the very beginning and use the Breitenlohner-Maison scheme to define $\gamma_*$. We show that the parity-odd contribution to the trace anomaly vanishes (for which the use of dimension-dependent identities is crucial), and that the parity-even contribution is half the one of a Dirac fermion. To arrive at this result, we compute the full renormalized expectation value of the fermion stress tensor to second order in perturbations around Minkowski spacetime, and also show that it is conserved., Comment: 33 pages

We study the vacuum fluctuations of a quantum scalar field in the presence of a thin and inhomogeneous flat mirror, modeled with a delta potential. Using Heat-Kernel techniques, we evaluate the Euclidean effective action perturbatively in the inhomogeneities (nonperturbatively in the constant background). We show that the divergences can be absorbed into a local counterterm, and that the remaining finite part is in general a nonlocal functional of the inhomogeneities, which we compute explicitly for massless fields in $D=4$ dimensions. For time-independent inhomogeneities, the effective action gives the Casimir self-energy for a partially transmitting mirror. For time-dependent inhomogeneities, the Wick-rotated effective action gives the probability of particle creation due to the dynamical Casimir effect., Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures. Added a discussion on the renormalization process. Added some missing factors in formulas (72) and (73), App. A

We show that two indistinguishable aspects of the divergences occurring in the Casimir effect, namely the divergence of the energy of the higher modes and the non-com\-pact\-ness of the momentum space, get disentangled in a given noncommutative setup. To this end, we consider a scalar field between two parallel plates in an anti-Snyder space. Additionally, the large mass decay in this noncommutative setup is not necessarily exponential., Comment: 15 pages, discussion regarding the large-mass asymptotics added, typos corrected, missing factor in eq. (1) corrected

We study an interacting $\lambda\,\phi^4_{\star}$ scalar field defined on Snyder-de Sitter space. Due to the noncommutativity as well as the curvature of this space, the renormalization of the two-point function differs from the commutative case. In particular, we show that the theory in the limit of small curvature and noncommutativity is described by a model similar to the Grosse-Wulkenhaar one. Moreover, very much akin to what happens in the Grosse-Wulkenhaar model, our computation demonstrates that there exists a fixed point in the renormalization group flow of the harmonic and mass terms., Comment: 6 pages. v2: typos corrected. v3: corrections in eq. (14); introduction of $\alpha_{\rm eff}$ instead of $m_{\rm eff}$

We study the $\phi_{\star}^4$ model for a scalar field in a linearization of the Snyder model, using the methods of the Worldline Formalism. Our main result is a master equation for the 1-loop n-point function. From this we derive the renormalization of the coupling parameters of the theory and observe the appearance of a $\phi^6$ divergent contribution that opens the question of whether this theory is renormalizable or not. Additionally, we observe that some terms in the renormalized action can be interpreted as coming from an effective metric proportional to the square of the field., Comment: 13 pages. v2: added eqs. (11) and (12) regarding the effective action, corrected eq. (40)

We study the thermodynamics of a scalar field on a noncommutative disc implementing the boundary as the limit case of an interaction with an appropriately chosen confining background. We explicitly obtain expressions for thermodynamic potentials of gases of particles obeying different statistics. In order to do that, we derive an asymptotic expansion for the density of the zeros of Laguerre polynomials. As a result we prove that the Bose-Einstein condensation in the noncommutative disc does not take place., Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures