Quantum scalar fields on anti-de Sitter space-time

We investigate the propagation of arbitrarily coupled scalar fields on the N-dimensional hyperbolic space H-N. Using the zeta-function regularization we compute exactly the one-loop effective action. The vacuum expectation va lue of quadratic field fluctuations and the one-loop renormalized stress te nsor are then computed using the recently proposed direct zeta-function tec hnique. Our computation tests the validity of this approach in the presence of a continuous spectrum. Our results apply as well to the N-dimensional a nti-de Sitter space-time, whose appropriate euclidean section is the hyperb olic space H-N. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.