Related papers: Alpha-states in de Sitter space
The quantum fluctuations of a test scalar field on superhorizon scale in de Sitter spacetime can be described by an effective one-dimensional stochastic theory corresponding to a particular class of nonequilibrium dynamical systems known as…
As a spacetime with compact spatial sections, de Sitter spacetime does not have a de Sitter-invariant ground state for a minimally-coupled massless scalar field that gives definite expectation values for any observables not invariant under…
The method of adiabatic invariants for time dependent Hamiltonians is applied to a massive scalar field in a de Sitter space-time. The scalar field ground state, its Fock space and coherent states are constructed and related to the particle…
Supercritical string theories in D>10 dimensions with no moduli are described, generalizing the asymmetric orientifold construction of one of the authors. By taking the number of dimensions to be large and turning on fluxes, dilaton…
We argue that, under certain plausible assumptions, de Sitter space settles into a quiescent vacuum in which there are no dynamical quantum fluctuations. Such fluctuations require either an evolving microstate, or time-dependent histories…
We develop a nonperturbative quantum scalar field formalism from a noncompact Kaluza-Klein (KK) theory using the induced-matter theory of gravity during inflation. We study the particular case of a de Sitter expansion for the universe.
The stochastic effective theory approach, often called stochastic inflation, is widely used in cosmology to describe scalar field dynamics during inflation. The existing formulations are, however, more qualitative than quantitative because…
The construction of meta-stable four-dimensional de Sitter vacua in type IIB string compactifications represents an important question and an ongoing area of work. There is considerable support both for stringy de Sitter vacua in the…
We construct four-dimensional de Sitter space as an excited state, rather than as a vacuum configuration, in type IIB, heterotic SO(32), and heterotic E_8 \times E_8 string theories. This framework provides a mechanism to evade vacuum-based…
We study flat FLRW $\alpha$-attractor $\mathrm{E}$- and $\mathrm{T}$-models by introducing a dynamical systems framework that yields regularized unconstrained field equations on two-dimensional compact state spaces. This results in both…
The cosmological particle production in a $k=0$ expanding de Sitter universe with a Hubble parameter $H_0$ is considered for various values of mass or conformal coupling of a free, scalar field. One finds that, for a minimally coupled field…
Scalar particles--i.e., scalar-field excitations--in de Sitter space exhibit behavior unlike either classical particles in expanding space or quantum particles in flat spacetime. Their energies oscillate forever, and their interactions are…
Inertial observers in de Sitter are surrounded by a horizon and see thermal fluctuations. To them, a massless scalar field appears to follow a random motion but any attractive potential, no matter how weak, will eventually stabilize the…
We investigate the modifications to inflationary observables that arise when adopting an $\alpha$-vacuum instead of the standard Bunch--Davies vacuum for quantum fluctuations during inflation. Within the Starobinsky inflationary model, we…
The long wavelength physics in a de Sitter region depends on the initial quantum state. While such long wavelength physics is under control for massive fields near the Hartle-Hawking vacuum state, such initial states make unnatural…
We consider a scalar field theory with quartic self interaction, Yukawa coupled to fermions in the inflationary de Sitter spacetime background. The scalar has a classical background plus quantum fluctuations, whereas the fermions are taken…
We analyze a simple extension of the Schwinger model, which we refer to as the $p$-Schwinger model, on a de Sitter background. In this theory, the charged massless fermions carry non-unit integer charge $p$. In Minkowski space, the…
One of the main goals of the field of string phenomenology is to describe the properties of our spacetime in low-energy effective models related to and consistent with string theory. It is known that our universe undergoes accelerated…
In the context of string theory, several conjectural conditions have been proposed for low energy effective field theories not to be in swampland, the UV-incomplete class. The recent ones represented by the de Sitter and trans-Planckian…
We argue that moduli stabilization generically restricts the evolution following transitions between weakly coupled de Sitter vacua and can induce a strong selection bias towards inflationary cosmologies. The energy density of domain walls…