Decay of the Cosmological Constant. Equivalence of Quantum Tunneling and Thermal Activation in Two Spacetime Dimensions

TL;DR

This paper explores how the decay of the cosmological constant in two dimensions can be viewed as both quantum tunneling and thermal activation, highlighting the deep connection between gravity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the equivalence of quantum tunneling and thermal activation processes in the decay of the cosmological constant in two-dimensional spacetime.

Findings

Quantum tunneling and thermal activation are equivalent descriptions of the decay process.

Different observers perceive the decay as either tunneling or thermal activation.

The study reveals a profound link between gravity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics.

Abstract

We study the decay of the cosmological constant in two spacetime dimensions through production of pairs. We show that the same nucleation process looks as quantum mechanical tunneling (instanton) to one Killing observer and as thermal activation (thermalon) to another. Thus, we find another striking example of the deep interplay between gravity, thermodynamics and quantum mechanics which becomes apparent in presence of horizons.