Heretics of the False Vacuum: Gravitational Effects On and Of Vacuum Decay 2

TL;DR

This paper critically reexamines vacuum decay in quantum gravity, arguing decay into stable vacua is unlikely and that decay, if it occurs, leads to cosmological singularities, challenging previous assumptions about vacuum stability.

Contribution

It introduces a new perspective on vacuum decay, emphasizing the role of gravitational effects and the nature of the resulting spacetime, especially in de Sitter and AdS contexts.

Findings

Decay into stable flat or AdS vacua does not occur.

Vacuum decay, if it happens, results in a Big Crunch in AdS cases.

The decay of de Sitter space requires careful definition and analysis.

Abstract

This paper reexamines the question of vacuum decay in theories of quantum gravity. In particular it suggests that decay into stable flat or AdS vacua, never occurs. Instead, vacuum decay occurs, if at all, into a cosmological spacetime. If the latter has negative cosmological constant, it undergoes a Big Crunch, which suggests that the whole picture is inconsistent. The question of decay of de Sitter space must be very carefully defined.