Surface Casimir densities on a spherical brane in Rindler-like spacetimes

The vacuum expectation value of the surface energy-momentum tensor is evaluated for a scalar field obeying Robin boundary condition on a spherical brane in (D + 1)-dimensional spacetime Ri x SD-1, where Ri is a two-dimensional Rindler spacetime. The generalized zeta function technique is used in combination with the contour integral representation. The surface energies on separate sides of the brane contain pole and finite contributions. Analytic expressions for both these contributions are derived. For an infinitely thin brane in odd spatial dimensions, the pole parts cancel and the total surface energy, evaluated as the sum of the energies on separate sides, is finite. For a minimally coupled scalar field the surface energy-momentum tensor corresponds to the source of the cosmological constant type. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.