Type: Article

On a puzzle about bremsstrahlung as described by coaccelerated observers

I Pena; C Chryssomalakos; A Corichi; D Sudarsky;

Abstract:

We consider anew some puzzling aspects of the equivalence of the quantum field theoretical description of bremsstrahlung from the inertial and accelerated observer's perspectives. More concretely, we focus on the seemingly paradoxical situation that arises when noting that the radiating source is in thermal equilibrium with the thermal state of the quantum field in the wedge in which it is located, and thus its presence does not change there the state of the field, while it clearly does not affect the state of the field on the opposite wedge. How then is the state of the quantum field on the future wedge changed, as it must in order to account for the changed energy-momentum tensor there? This and related issues are carefully discussed.