 Canonical scalar stress as a perfect fluid

For a canonical scalar with timelike gradient, its stress-energy tensor has perfect-fluid form. In a homogeneous background, $\rho ={\dot{\varphi }}^2/2+V$ and $p={\dot{\varphi }}^2/2-V$. Potential domination gives negative pressure, while the scalar's physical rest-frame sound speed is one. A constant negative background $w$ therefore does not force its perturbations to obey the adiabatic barotropic closure $\delta p=w\delta \rho$.

// Target: cosmology.bigb