Misc,
De Sitter Musings
(May 26, 2013)
Abstract
We discuss some of the issues that arise when considering the physics of
asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes, and attempts to address them. Our
development begins at the classical level, where several initial value problems
are discussed, and ends with several proposals for holography in asymptotically
de Sitter spacetimes. Throughout the paper we give a review of some basic
notions such as the geometry of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole, the
Nariai limit, and quantum field theory in a fixed de Sitter background. We also
briefly discuss some semiclassical aspects such as the nucleation of giant
black holes and the Hartle-Hawking wavefunctional. We end by giving an overview
of some open questions. An emphasis is placed on the differences between a
static patch observer confined to live in a thermal cavity and the metaobserver
who has access to a finite region of the future boundary.
