Scalar field quantization in stationary, non-static spacetimes

Abstract

A quantization procedure is given for the scalar field on stationary, axisymmetric background spacetimes with orthogonal 2-surfaces. The procedure is based on observers orthogonal to surfaces of constant Killing time, and thus agrees with the usual procedure for static spacetimes. For stationary but nonstatic spacetimes the procedure differs from the usual one but nonetheless leads to a natural quantization scheme. Applying the procedure to flat space in rotating coordinates gives the standard, inertial Minkowski vacuum. For the Kerr spacetime, the procedure yields a particle definition which is well-defined everywhere outside the horizon. The above observers are just nonrotating ZAMO's, and the vacuum state smoothly interpolates between the “in” and “out” Boulware vacua.