Quantum master equation for the vacuum decay dynamics

Abstract

The quantum master equation required to describe the dynamics of gravity-related vacuum decay is still challenging. We aim to study this issue. Our model consists of the spacetime and scalar field with self-interaction potential. The environment is chosen as spacetime while the system is formed by the vacua of the scalar field. We demonstrate that the quantum dynamics of the vacua can be described by the Redfield equation, which can depict the evolution of both coherence and the comoving volume fraction of the vacuum. Under the Markovian limit, coherence monotonically decreases with time, leading to the initial quantum state to decohere into a classical state. This helps the understanding of the decoherence of the universe. We also highlight that in certain circumstances, the evolution of the vacuum system may display non-Markovian dynamics. In specific scenarios, the classical limit of the quantum master equation is consistent with the classical master equation. In the steady state, the dominant vacuum corresponds to the smallest cosmological constant, and various dS vacua can reach equilibrium states.