Long-time asymptotics of a Bohmian scalar quantum field in de Sitter space-time

Abstract

We consider a model quantum field theory with a scalar quantum field in de Sitter space-time in a Bohmian version with a field ontology, i.e., an actual field configuration $\varphi({\bf x},t)$ guided by a wave function on the space of field configurations. We analyze the asymptotics at late times ($t\to\infty$) and provide reason to believe that for more or less any wave function and initial field configuration, every Fourier coefficient $\varphi_{\bf k}(t)$ of the field is asymptotically of the form $c_{\bf k}\sqrt{1+{\bf k}^2 \exp(-2Ht)/H^2}$, where the limiting coefficients $c_{\bf k}=\varphi_{\bf k}(\infty)$ are independent of $t$ and $H$ is the Hubble constant quantifying the expansion rate of de Sitter space-time. In particular, every field mode $\varphi_{\bf k}$ possesses a limit as $t\to\infty$ and thus "freezes." This result is relevant to the question whether Boltzmann brains form in the late universe according to this theory, and supports that they do not.