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arXiv · 1511.06460

Thermodynamic Origin of the Null Energy Condition

Maulik Parikh·Andrew Svesko
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Abstract

We derive the classical null energy condition, understood as a constraint on the Ricci tensor, from the second law of thermodynamics applied locally to Bekenstein-Hawking entropy associated with patches of null congruences. The derivation provides evidence that the null energy condition, which has usually been regarded as a condition on matter, is fundamentally a property of gravity.

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Maulik Parikh, Andrew Svesko. 2017-04-14. Thermodynamic Origin of the Null Energy Condition. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.95.104002

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