Constraints on the Duration of Inflation from Entanglement Entropy Bounds

Abstract

Using the fact that we only observe those modes that exit the Hubble horizon during inflation, one can calculate the entanglement entropy of such long-wavelength perturbations by tracing out the unobservable sub-Hubble fluctuations they are coupled with. On requiring that this perturbative entanglement entropy, which increases with time, obey the covariant entropy bound for an accelerating background, we find an upper bound on the duration of inflation. This presents a new perspective on the (meta-)stability of de Sitter spacetime and an associated lifetime for it.