A Comment on Non-Archimedean Character of Quantum Buoyancy

Abstract

In a gedankenexperiment about the generalized second law (GSL) of black hole thermodynamics, the buoyant force by black hole atmosphere (the acceleration radiation) plays an important role, and then it is significant to understand the nature of the buoyant force. Recently, Bekenstein criticizes that the fluid approximation of the acceleration radiation which is often used in the estimation of the buoyant force is invalid for the case that the size of the target is much less than a typical wavelength of the acceleration radiation, due to the diffractive effect of wave scattering. In this letter, we argue that even if it is correct that we should calculate the buoyant force as a wave scattering process, its implication in the GSL strongly depends on whether there exists any massless scalar field, that is, S-wave scattering. By reconsidering the diffractive effect by S-wave scattering, we show that if some massless scalar field exists, then the GSL can hold without invoking a new physics, such as an entropy bound for matter.