Periods and motives in the spectral action of Robertson-Walker spacetimes

Abstract

We show that, when considering the scaling factor as an affine variable, the coefficients of the asymptotic expansion of the spectral action on a (Euclidean) Robertson-Walker spacetime are periods of mixed Tate motives, involving relative motives of complements of unions of hyperplanes and quadric hypersurfaces and divisors given by unions of coordinate hyperplanes.