General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists · Problem 15.5

Cosmological models — Hobson, Efstathiou & Lasenby

Physics · vacuum-energy-pressure

Problem

Consider a cylindrical piston chamber of cross-sectional area AA 'filled' with vacuum energy. The piston is withdrawn a linear distance dxdx. Show that the energy created by withdrawing the piston equals the work done by the vacuum, provided that pvac=−ρvacc2.p_{\mathrm{vac}} = -\rho_{\mathrm{vac}}c^2. Hence show that, in this case, the vacuum energy density is constant as the piston is withdrawn.

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