Decay of de Sitter vacua by thermal activation

TL;DR

This paper investigates the decay mechanisms of de Sitter vacua, focusing on a thermal activation process involving pair creation of critical bubbles, and compares it with other decay processes discussed in recent literature.

Contribution

It introduces and analyzes a static instanton approach to de Sitter vacuum decay, highlighting its similarities to thermal activation and contrasting it with other known decay processes.

Findings

Decay via static instantons involves pair creation of critical bubbles.

The process is analogous to thermal activation in flat space.

Comparison with other decay mechanisms clarifies different pathways of de Sitter vacuum decay.

Abstract

Decay of a de Sitter vacuum may proceed through a "static" instanton, representing pair creation of critical bubbles separated by a distance comparable to the Hubble radius -- a process somewhat analogous to thermal activation in flat space. We compare this with related processes recently discussed in the literature.