Stochastic inflation as an open quantum system
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866914035044188160 |
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| author | Li, Yue-Zhou |
| author_facet | Li, Yue-Zhou |
| contents | We reinterpret Starobinsky's stochastic inflation as an open quantum system, where short-wavelength modes act as the environment for long-wavelength modes. Using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism, we systematically trace out the environment and derive an effective theory for the reduced density matrix, including deviations from exact de Sitter. The resulting master equation is a Lindblad equation, which reduces to a Fokker-Planck equation for the diagonal elements up to higher orders in the slow-roll expansion, while also yielding a more complete equation in phase space. Finally, we extend the formalism to global de Sitter, for which the associated Fokker-Planck equation lacks equilibrium solutions until the late-time regime $aH \gg 1$. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_02070 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Stochastic inflation as an open quantum system Li, Yue-Zhou High Energy Physics - Theory General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Quantum Physics We reinterpret Starobinsky's stochastic inflation as an open quantum system, where short-wavelength modes act as the environment for long-wavelength modes. Using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism, we systematically trace out the environment and derive an effective theory for the reduced density matrix, including deviations from exact de Sitter. The resulting master equation is a Lindblad equation, which reduces to a Fokker-Planck equation for the diagonal elements up to higher orders in the slow-roll expansion, while also yielding a more complete equation in phase space. Finally, we extend the formalism to global de Sitter, for which the associated Fokker-Planck equation lacks equilibrium solutions until the late-time regime $aH \gg 1$. |
| title | Stochastic inflation as an open quantum system |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Theory General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.02070 |