PIRSA:11040068 Scientific Series Cosmology

DOI10.48660/11040068

Series: Cosmology and Gravitation

Holman, R. (2011). On the Perturbative Stability of Quantum Field Theories in de Sitter Space. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/11040068

Holman, Richard. On the Perturbative Stability of Quantum Field Theories in de Sitter Space. Perimeter Institute, Apr. 20, 2011, https://pirsa.org/11040068 

@misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11040068,
  doi = {10.48660/11040068},
  url = {https://pirsa.org/11040068},
  author = {Holman, Richard},
  keywords = {Cosmology},
  language = {en},
  title = {On the Perturbative Stability of Quantum Field Theories in de Sitter Space},
  publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
  year = {2011},
  month = {apr},
  note = {PIRSA:11040068 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
}

Abstract

We use a field theoretic generalization of the Wigner-Weisskopf method to study the stability of the Bunch-Davies vacuum state for a massless, conformally coupled interacting test field in de Sitter space. A simple example of the impact of vacuum decay upon a non-gaussian correlation is discussed. Single particle excitations also decay into two particle states, leading to particle production that hastens the exiting of modes from the de Sitter horizon resulting in the production of \emph{entangled superhorizon pairs} with a population consistent with unitary evolution. We find a non-perturbative, self-consistent "screening" mechanism that shuts off vacuum decay asymptotically, leading to a stationary vacuum state in a manner not unlike the approach to a fixed point in the space of states.

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