Mode-sum regularization of $\left\langle \phi^{2} \right\rangle$ in the angular-splitting method

Abstract

The computation of the renormalized stress-energy tensor or $\left\langle\phi^{2}\right\rangle_{ren}$ in curved spacetime is a challenging task, at both the conceptual and technical levels. Recently we developed a new approach to compute such renormalized quantities in asymptotically-flat curved spacetimes, based on the point-splitting procedure. Our approach requires the spacetime to admit some symmetry. We already implemented this approach to compute $\left\langle \phi^{2}\right\rangle _{ren}$ in a stationary spacetime using t-splitting, namely splitting in the time-translation direction. Here we present the angular-splitting version of this approach, aimed for computing renormalized quantities in a general (possibly dynamical) spherically-symmetric spacetime. To illustrate how the angular-splitting method works, we use it here to compute $\left\langle \phi^{2}\right\rangle _{ren}$ for a quantum massless scalar field in Schwarzschild background, in various quantum states (Boulware, Unruh, and Hartle-Hawking states). We find excellent agreement with the results obtained from the t-splitting variant, and also with other methods. Our main goal in pursuing this new mode-sum approach was to enable the computation of the renormalized stress-energy tensor in a dynamical spherically symmetric background, e.g. an evaporating black hole. The angular-splitting variant presented here is most suitable to this purpose.