Abstract

Discrepancies between Lorentzian and Euclidean one-loop calculations in de Sitter thermodynamics suggest the existence of “edge modes” residing on the bifurcate horizon. In this talk, I will review these calculations and present progress in understanding these edge degrees of freedom. Specifically, for p-form tensor gauge theories, edge modes manifest as large gauge transformations supported on the stretched horizon. For totally symmetric tensor gauge fields on Sd+1, their edge partition functions receive contributions from lower-spin, shift-symmetric fields on Sd-1 that nonlinearly realize the global higher-spin symmetries. In the case of linearized gravity, I will discuss a plausible interpretation involving an embedded spherical brane. This plethora of structures hints at a rich interplay between de Sitter horizon thermodynamics, symmetry breaking, and edge mode physics.