On de Sitter radiation via quantum tunneling

TL;DR

This paper examines the limitations of the tunneling picture in explaining Hawking radiation from de Sitter horizons, suggesting the vacuum's stability and a different thermal response for detectors.

Contribution

It challenges the conventional tunneling explanation for de Sitter radiation and highlights the stability of the vacuum against Hawking radiation.

Findings

Tunneling picture does not necessarily imply Hawking radiation from de Sitter horizon.

De Sitter vacuum appears stable against Hawking radiation.

Detectors in de Sitter space detect a thermal radiation with temperature twice the Hawking temperature.

Abstract

We discuss why the tunneling picture does not necessarily lead to Hawking radiation from the de Sitter horizon. The experience with the condensed matter analogs of event horizon suggests that the de Sitter vacuum is stable against the Hawking radiation. On the other hand the detector immersed into the de Sitter background will detect the radiation which looks as thermal with the effective temperature twice larger than the Hawking temperature associated with the cosmological horizon.