Black Holes Hint towards De Sitter Matrix Theory

Abstract

De Sitter black holes and other non-perturbative configurations can be used to probe the holographic degrees of freedom of de Sitter space. For small black holes, evidence was first provided in the seminal work of Banks, Fiol, and Morrise and follow-ups by Banks and Fischler, showing that dS is described by a form of matrix theory. For large black holes, the evidence provided here is new: Gravitational calculations and matrix theory calculations of the rates of exponentially rare fluctuations match one another in surprising detail. The occurrences of Nariai geometry and the “inside-out” transition are particularly interesting examples, which I explain in this paper.