Notes on de Sitter space

Abstract

We discuss classical and quantum features of spacetimes with a positive cosmological constant. After introducing basic aspects of de Sitter cosmology and the classical geometry of de Sitter space, we consider de Sitter space both as a rigid background, on which quantum fields propagate, and as a fluctuating spacetime in its own right. We review the wavefunction of an expanding universe, black holes in de Sitter space, and the de Sitter entropy, and compare the cosmological horizon with the black hole horizon. The final three sections are dedicated to concrete models of de Sitter space in two, three and four spacetime dimensions.