Abstract
We investigate stochastic gravity as a potentially fruitful avenue for studying quantum effects in gravity. Following the approach of stochastic electrodynamics (sed), as a representation of the quantum gravity vacuum we construct a classical state of isotropic random gravitational radiation, expressed as a spin-2 field,h µυ (x), composed of plane waves of random phase on a flat spacetime manifold. Requiring Lorentz invariance leads to the result that the spectral composition function of the gravitational radiation,h(ω), must be proportional to 1/ω 2. The proportionality constant is determined by the Planck condition that the energy density consist ofħω/2 per normal mode, and this condition sets the amplitude scale of the random gravitational radiation at the order of the Planck length, giving a spectral composition functionh(ω) =√16πc 2Lp/ω2. As an application of stochastic gravity, we investigate the Davies-Unruh effect. We calculate the two-point correlation function (R iojo(Oτ−δτ/2)R kolo(O,τ+δτ/2)) of the measureable geodesic deviation tensor field,R iojo, for two situations: (i) at a point detector uniformly accelerating through the random gravitational radiation, and (ii) at an inertial detector in a heat bath of the random radiation at a finite temperature. We find that the two correlation functions agree to first order inaδτ/c provided that the temperature and acceleration satisfy the relationkT=ħa/2πc.
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Ross, D.K., Moreau, W. Stochastic gravity. Gen Relat Gravit 27, 845–858 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02113067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02113067