Abstract
We show that the addition of a topological Gauss-Bonnet term to the gravitational action can greatly increase the instability of four-dimensional de Sitter space by favoring the nucleation of black holes. The pair-production rate given by the Euclidean action for the instanton takes the form exp(ΔS) where S is the entropy in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory. The coefficient of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the action sets a stability bound on the curvature of empty de Sitter space. For that coefficient in the low-energy effective action of heterotic string theory, the maximal curvature of de Sitter space is, in general, much lower than the Planck scale.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 044048 |
Journal | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
Volume | 84 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 18 2011 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)