Statistical Mechanics, Gravity, and Euclidean Theory

Abstract

A review of computations of free energy for Gibbs states on stationary but not static gravitational and gauge backgrounds is given. On these backgrounds wave equations for free fields are reduced to eigen-value problems which depend non-linearly on the spectral parameter. We present a method to deal with such problems. In particular, we demonstrate how some results of the spectral theory of second order elliptic operators, such as heat kernel asymptotics, can be extended to a class of non-linear spectral problems. The method is used to trace down the relation between the canonical definition of the free energy based on summation over the modes and the covariant definition given in Euclidean quantum gravity. As an application, high-temperature asymptotics of the free energy and of the thermal part of the stress-energy tensor in the presence of rotation are derived. We also discuss statistical mechanics in the presence of Killing horizons where canonical and Euclidean theories are related in a non-trivial way.