Quantum Field Theory in De Sitter Space
Summary
Quantum field theory in de Sitter space investigates the behaviour of quantum fields on a background with constant positive curvature, embodying an exponentially expanding universe. De Sitter space plays a central role in modelling both the inflationary epoch and the late-time accelerated expansion driven by dark energy. Unlike flat Minkowski space, its event horizon and associated Gibbons–Hawking temperature give rise to thermal particle production and vacuum ambiguity, requiring careful specification of quantum states. Infrared effects and secular growth of correlation functions present unique challenges to perturbation theory, prompting the development of nonperturbative techniques and resummation methods. Moreover, the interaction between quantum fluctuations and the background geometry leads to backreaction phenomena that may influence the effective cosmological constant and long-wavelength dynamics. This field synthesises methods from curved-space renormalisation, open quantum systems, and cosmological perturbation theory, aiming to address fundamental questions in early-universe physics and the stability of dark energy dominated spacetimes.
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Quantum Field Theory in De Sitter Space publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in quantum field theory in de sitter space across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
De Sitter space: A maximally symmetric spacetime with positive cosmological constant and constant curvature, modelling exponential expansion.
In-in formalism: A path-integral approach for computing expectation values in time-dependent backgrounds without reference to asymptotic out states.
Bunch–Davies vacuum: The de Sitter–invariant vacuum state that reduces to the Minkowski vacuum at short distances in the Poincaré patch.
Infrared divergences: Divergences arising from contributions of long-wavelength modes in de Sitter space due to its infinite shear of superhorizon scales.
Secular growth: Time-dependent enhancement of loop corrections in correlation functions, signalling breakdown of naive perturbation theory over long durations.
References
- Characters of different secular effects in various patches of de Sitter space. Physical Review D (2019).
- The need to renormalize the cosmological constant. Physics Letters B (2024).
- Clock Fields and Logarithmic Decay of Dark Energy. Galaxies (2024).
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