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Global quenches and correlator dynamics in de Sitter space

Ivan A. Belkovich1,*, Damir Sadekov1,2,†, and Gleb S. Zverev2,‡

  • *Contact author: belkovich.ia@phystech.edu
  • †Contact author: sadekov.di@phystech.edu
  • ‡Contact author: zverev.gs@phystech.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 065027 – Published 26 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7tq5-bkn3

Abstract

We study nonequilibrium initial states of quantum fields in curved spacetime and develop a framework for describing global quenches as unitary perturbations of the initial density matrix. Using the Keldysh-Schwinger functional integral, we derive expressions for postquench correlators in arbitrary geometries and apply the method to both Minkowski and de Sitter backgrounds. In flat space, the approach reproduces the known relaxation behavior for massive fields and reveals qualitatively distinct dynamics in the massless case. In de Sitter space, we find that the late-time decay of quench-induced corrections depends sensitively on the mass and may influence the behavior of cosmological observables such as the power spectrum. The framework also extends straightforwardly to non-Gaussian initial states, providing a basis for future studies of loop effects and primordial non-Gaussianities.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 065027– Published 26 March, 2026
  • Received 23 November 2025
  • Accepted 9 March 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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