Decomposing quantum fields on branes

Abstract We provide a method to decompose the two-point function of a quantum field on a warped manifold in terms of fields living on a lower-dimensional manifold. We discuss explicit applications to Minkowski, de Sitter and anti-de Sitter quantum field theories. This decomposition presents a remarkable analogy with the holography principle, in the sense that physics in d +1 dimensions may be encoded into the physics in one dimension less. Moreover, in a context a la Randall–Sundrum, the method outlined here allows a mechanism of generation of mass-spectra in the 3-brane (or more generally, a ( d −1)-brane).