De Sitter Space and Eternity

TL;DR

The paper argues that de Sitter space is not an eternal manifold once infrared quantum effects are accounted for, and it may destabilize under small perturbations, potentially leading to screening of the cosmological constant. It develops the composition principle as a diagnostic tool, contrasts propagators of different types, and links IR dynamics to a gauge/string duality framework involving complex coupling and centaur geometries. The work further explores backreaction and IR instabilities, and proposes a de Sitter sigma model with an IR fixed point that could underlie a dual gauge theory at complex coupling. Together, these results illuminate stability, holography, and nonperturbative IR structure in cosmological spacetimes with positive curvature.

Abstract

This paper explores infrared quantum effects in the de Sitter space. The notion of "eternal manifolds" is introduced and it is shown that in most cases the de Sitter space doesn't belong to this class. It is unstable under small perturbations which may cause a breakdown of the de Sitter symmetry. The de Sitter string sigma model is discussed. It is argued that the gauge theory at the complex coupling is dual to the matrix elements of vertex operators in the de Sitter space, taken between the Bunch - Davies vacuum and the "out" state without particles.The described infrared effects are likely to screen away the cosmological constant.