On the Decay of Massive Fields in de Sitter

Abstract

Interacting massive fields with m > d H/2 in d+1 dimensional de Sitter space are fundamentally unstable. Scalar fields in this mass range can decay to themselves. This process (which is kinematically forbidden in Minkowski space) can lead to an important change to the propagator and the physics of these fields. We compute this decay rate by doing a 1-loop computation for a massive scalar field with a cubic interaction. We resum the 1-loop result by consistently solving the Schwinger-Dyson equations. We also perform an explicit resummation of all chain graphs in the case of the retarded propagator. The decay rate is exponentially suppressed for large m/H and the flat space answer (vanishing decay rate) is reproduced in that limit.

23 pages, 7 figures; v2 corrected the discussion for the F propagator. Final results are unchanged

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Cited by in corpus (37)

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• Nonperturbative resummation of de Sitter infrared logarithms in the large-N limit
• Loops in inflationary correlation functions
• An effective field theory during inflation II: stochastic dynamics and power spectrum suppression
• One-loop gravitational wave spectrum in de Sitter spacetime
• Scalar field correlator in de Sitter space at next-to-leading order in a 1/N expansion
• Quantum scalar fields in de Sitter space from the nonperturbative renormalization group
• Renormalization group flow and symmetry restoration in de Sitter space
• Characters of different secular effects in various patches of de Sitter space
• Infrared dynamics of the massive ${\varphi }^4$ theory on de Sitter space
• IR divergences and kinetic equation in de Sitter space. (Poincare patch; Principal series)
• Infrared dynamics of massive scalars from the complementary series in de Sitter space
• Missing Scalars at the Cosmological Collider
• Condensates and quasiparticles in inflationary cosmology: mass generation and decay widths
• Solution of the Dyson--Schwinger equation on de Sitter background in IR limit
• Decay of the de Sitter Vacuum
• Spontaneous symmetry breaking in inflationary cosmology: on the fate of Goldstone Bosons
• Pre-slow roll initial conditions: large scale power suppression and infrared aspects during inflation
• Imprint of entanglement entropy in the power spectrum of inflationary fluctuations
• Nonperturbative infrared enhancement of nonGaussian correlators in de Sitter space
• Macroscopic quantum tunneling: from quantum vortices to black holes and Universe
• The Early Universe as an Open Quantum System: Complexity and Decoherence
• Curved space equilibration vs. flat space thermalization (a short review)
• de Sitter Space is Unstable in Quantum Gravity
• Superhorizon entanglement entropy from particle decay in inflation
• Fermionic influence (action) on inflationary fluctuations
• Thermodynamics and decay of de Sitter vacuum
• On the global temperature of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime
• A preferred ground state for the scalar field in de Sitter space
• From black hole to white hole via the intermediate static state
• The Three Faces of a Fixed Point
• Correlation Functions of Massless Interacting Scalar Fields in de Sitter Space
• Topological Origin of Horizon Temperature via the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet Theorem
• Strongly Coupled Sectors in Inflation: Gapped Theories of Unparticles