Quantum Brownian motion induced by a scalar field in Einstein’s universe

Abstract

Abstract The Brownian motion of a point particle induced by quantum vacuum fluctuations of a massless real scalar field in Einstein’s universe is studied. By assuming the small displacement condition, the dispersion in the momentum and position of a point particle coupled to the massless scalar field are obtained. As a consequence of the homogeneity and isotropy properties of the Einstein’s Universe, we find that all components of these physical observables are identical. We also examine divergent behaviors associated with the physical momentum and position dispersions, which we attribute to the IR $$^{1}\times $$ 1 × S $$^{3}$$ 3 compact topology of Einstein’s universe. Finally, based on the small displacement condition assumed, we analyze the limit of validity of our investigation.