TY - JOUR
T1 - A conformal field theory for eternal inflation?
AU - Freivogel, Ben
AU - Kleban, Matthew
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - We study a statistical model defined by a conformally invariant distribution of overlapping spheres in arbitrary dimension d. The model arises as the asymptotic distribution of cosmic bubbles in d+1 dimensional de Sitter space, and also as the asymptotic distribution of bubble collisions with the domain wall of a fiducial ''observation bubble'' in d+2 dimensional de Sitter space. In this note we calculate the 2-, 3-, and 4-point correlation functions of exponentials of the ''bubble number operator'' analytically in d = 2. We find that these correlators are free of infrared divergences, covariant under the global conformal group, charge conserving, and transform with positive conformal dimensions that are related in a novel way to the charge. Although by themselves these operators probably do not define a full-fledged conformal field theory, one can use the partition function on a sphere to compute an approximate central charge in the 2D case. The theory in any dimension has a noninteracting limit when the nucleation rate of the bubbles in the bulk is very large. The theory in two dimensions is related to some models of continuum percolation, but it is conformal for all values of the tunneling rate.
AB - We study a statistical model defined by a conformally invariant distribution of overlapping spheres in arbitrary dimension d. The model arises as the asymptotic distribution of cosmic bubbles in d+1 dimensional de Sitter space, and also as the asymptotic distribution of bubble collisions with the domain wall of a fiducial ''observation bubble'' in d+2 dimensional de Sitter space. In this note we calculate the 2-, 3-, and 4-point correlation functions of exponentials of the ''bubble number operator'' analytically in d = 2. We find that these correlators are free of infrared divergences, covariant under the global conformal group, charge conserving, and transform with positive conformal dimensions that are related in a novel way to the charge. Although by themselves these operators probably do not define a full-fledged conformal field theory, one can use the partition function on a sphere to compute an approximate central charge in the 2D case. The theory in any dimension has a noninteracting limit when the nucleation rate of the bubbles in the bulk is very large. The theory in two dimensions is related to some models of continuum percolation, but it is conformal for all values of the tunneling rate.
KW - Conformal field Models in string Theory
KW - DS vacua in string theory
KW - Gauge-gravity correspondence
KW - Space-time symmetries
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U2 - 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/12/019
DO - 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/12/019
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:71549115497
VL - 2009
JO - Journal of High Energy Physics
JF - Journal of High Energy Physics
SN - 1126-6708
IS - 12
M1 - 019
ER -