Feeling de Sitter
Andreas Albrecht, R. Holman, Benoit J. Richard

TL;DR
This paper investigates whether a quantum field can detect its transition into de Sitter space by analyzing the evolution of two-point correlation functions, revealing insights into the equilibration process in curved spacetime.
Contribution
It applies non-equilibrium quantum field theory to study the time evolution of quantum states transitioning into de Sitter space, highlighting how different observables approach equilibrium.
Findings
Correlation functions tend to approach Bunch-Davies values over time
The equilibration process resembles that in familiar quantum systems
Detection depends on the specific quantities examined
Abstract
We address the following question: To what extent can a quantum field tell if it has been placed in de Sitter space? Our approach is to use the techniques of non-equilibrium quantum field theory to compute the time evolution of a state which starts off in flat space for (conformal) times , and then evolves in a de Sitter background turned on instantaneously at . We find that the answer depends on what quantities one examines. We study a range of them, all based on two-point correlation functions, and analyze which ones approach the standard Bunch-Davies values over time. The outcome of this analysis suggests that the nature of the equilibration process in this system is similar to that in more familiar systems.
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
