Proliferation of de Sitter Space

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum process where de Sitter space undergoes topology changes, leading to its disintegration into infinitely many universes, offering a new perspective on cosmological multiverse scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum topology change mechanism causing de Sitter space to fragment into multiple universes, expanding understanding of cosmic structure and inflation.

Findings

De Sitter space can disintegrate into multiple copies via topology change.

Black hole formation and evaporation facilitate the disintegration process.

Results suggest a multiverse production in inflationary cosmology.

Abstract

I show that de Sitter space disintegrates into an infinite number of copies of itself. This occurs iteratively through a quantum process involving two types of topology change. First a handle is created semiclassically, on which multiple black hole horizons form. Then the black holes evaporate and disappear, splitting the spatial hypersurfaces into large parts. Applied to cosmology, this process leads to the production of a large or infinite number of universes in most models of inflation and yields a new picture of global structure.