JT de Sitter Gravity as a Model of Coleman-de Luccia Tunneling

TL;DR

This paper models Coleman-de Luccia tunneling in JT de Sitter gravity, linking Euclidean solutions to cosmological decay processes and constructing quantum models that replicate semi-classical transition probabilities.

Contribution

It provides a novel interpretation of JT de Sitter gravity solutions as instantons for cosmological decay and develops explicit quantum models matching semi-classical results.

Findings

Euclidean solutions correspond to Coleman-de Luccia instantons.

Quantum models replicate semi-classical transition probabilities.

Demonstrates entropy bounds and transitions between static and expanding cosmologies.

Abstract

We interpret the Euclidean solution of JT de Sitter gravity as the Coleman-de Luccia instanton for the decay of the low-entropy horizon of its static patch solution into either a Big Crunch or an infinite-entropy Lorentzian de Sitter cosmology. As in previous work by one of the authors, the Big Crunch is interpreted as bounding the entropy of the static state. The principle of detailed balance then guarantees it will transition back to a higher entropy causal diamond in the expanding cosmology. We then construct a family of explicit quantum mechanical models and appropriate metastable states, with transition probabilities well approximated by the semi-classical calculations in JT de Sitter gravity.