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Quantum fields in boson star spacetime

Paul M. Saffin* and Qi-Xin Xie†

  • *Contact author: paul.saffin@nottingham.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: qixin.xie@nottingham.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 125025 – Published 18 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mw9r-3qdx

Abstract

Boson stars have been extensively studied in classical gravity, but their quantum properties remain comparatively unexplored. In this paper, we compute the quantum scalar fields and stress tensor in boson star spacetimes within the framework of semiclassical gravity. Divergences are regularized using Pauli-Villars fields, and accurate numerical results are obtained through spectral methods. Employing coherent states enables a direct comparison between the classical part of the stress tensor and the quantum fluctuation. Our results indicate that strong spacetime curvature is the primary source of large quantum effects. The renormalized quantum energy density is mostly positive but the radial pressure is negative, suggesting that classical boson star solutions require modification once quantum effects are included. Moreover, in regimes of large curvature, the quantum fluctuations can constitute a significant fraction of the total stress tensor. The methods developed here can be generalized to other compact objects and used to study their response to quantum corrections.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 125025– Published 18 June, 2026
  • Received 21 January 2026
  • Accepted 21 May 2026
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