Axion-de Sitter wormholes

• DOI: 10.1007/jhep11(2023)225
• Publication Date: 2023-12-01T01:02:31Z
• Authors: Sergio E. Aguilar...; Thomas Hertog; Rob Tielemans; Jan Pieter van de...; Thomas Van Riet
• Keywords: High Energy Physics - Theory; Science & Technology; Physics; de Sitter space; FOS: Physical sciences; QC770-798; 530; INSTANTONS; 01 natural sciences; Physics, Particles & Fields; High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th); Cosmological models; Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity; Physical Sciences; 0103 physical sciences; Axions and ALPs

Abstract We construct wormholes supported by axion flux in the presence of a positive cosmological constant. The solutions describe compact, one-handle bodies colloquially known as kettlebell geometries. The wormholes are perturbatively stable, but regularity of the Euclidean geometry implies an upper bound on the axion flux. Viewed as no-boundary saddle points, wormholes are suppressed relative to the round sphere. The symmetric kettlebell with maximal axion density has vanishing Euclidean action. Continuing into the Lorentzian across the equator, the solutions describe two expanding branches of de Sitter space filled with an axion field that rapidly dilutes and which are connected by a quantum bounce across which the arrow of time reverses.