Asymptotic Observables and the Swampland

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between constraints on scalar potentials, light states, and asymptotic observables in cosmology, linking the Swampland Conjectures with observable features in expanding universes.

Contribution

It establishes a novel connection between Swampland constraints and the existence of asymptotic observables in cosmological models, offering new insights into fundamental physics.

Findings

Constraints on scalar potentials relate to asymptotic observables in cosmology.

Light towers of states influence the prospects for defining observables.

Connections between the Weak Gravity Conjecture and domain walls in cosmology.

Abstract

We show that constraints on scalar field potentials and towers of light massive states in asymptotic limits of scalar field space (as posited by the de Sitter Conjecture and the Swampland Distance Conjecture, respectively) are correlated with the prospects for defining asymptotic observables in expanding FRW cosmologies. The observations of a "census taker" in an eternally inflating cosmology are further related to the question of whether certain domain walls satisfy a version of the Weak Gravity Conjecture. This suggests that answers to fundamental questions about asymptotic observables in cosmology could help shed light on the Swampland program, and vice versa.