English

On memory in exponentially expanding spaces

High Energy Physics - Theory 2015-06-11 v2

Abstract

We examine the degree to which fluctuating dynamics on exponentially expanding spaces remember initial conditions. In de Sitter space, the global late-time configuration of a free scalar field always contains information about early fluctuations. By contrast, fluctuations near the boundary of Euclidean Anti-de Sitter may or may not remember conditions in the center, with a transition at \Delta=d/2. We connect these results to literature about statistical mechanics on trees and make contact with the observation by Anninos and Denef that the configuration space of a massless dS field exhibits ultrametricity. We extend their analysis to massive fields, finding that preference for isosceles triangles persists as long as \Delta_- < d/4.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1210.5238,
  title  = {On memory in exponentially expanding spaces},
  author = {Daniel A. Roberts and Douglas Stanford},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1210.5238},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

30 pages plus appendices, with 6 figures. Journal version (JHEP). Presentation clarified, sections rearranged, and references added

R2 v1 2026-06-21T22:24:22.390Z