{
  "abstract": "We study the free Maxwell field on the planar patch of four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime ($dS_4$). We review its bulk canonical quantization in the Bunch-Davies vacuum, and we give a representation-theoretic viewpoint by studying the transformation properties of single-particle states under infinitesimal dS transformations. By taking the late-time limit, we identify two late-time operators with scaling dimensions $Δ=1$ (leading) and $Δ=2$ (subleading). We introduce CFT-inspired inner products invariant under the dS group ($SO(4,1)$) for states created by late-time operators acting on the Bunch-Davies vacuum. We explain how the unitary discrete series representations of $SO(4,1)$ associated with the photon are furnished by both operators, in contrast with the Maxwell field on $AdS$ where the $Δ=1$ operator corresponds to a non-normalizable mode. We also explain how the corresponding discrete series representations of $SO(4,1)$ split into a direct sum of representations corresponding to two helicities $+1$ and $-1$. This is achieved by taking advantage of the dS invariance of the self-dual and anti-self-dual sectors of the photon field strength. In our outlook, we draw inspiration from a recent proposal for the microscopic description of $dS_4$ higher-spin gravity where conformal gauge fields in 3 dimensions play a central role, and we investigate a possible connection of the $Δ=1$ late-time operator with a conformal spin-1 gauge field in 3 dimensions.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2607.25067",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Manizheh Botshekananfard"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elif Büşra Güraksın"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vasileios A. Letsios"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gizem Şengör"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2ty4cvwdt51g.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2607.25067",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "d2ty4cvwdt51g",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.25067",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "gr-qc"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-th"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|Black Holes and Theoretical Physics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7171641307",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.25067",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2ty4cvwdt51g.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:35:35Z",
      "native_id": "2607.25067",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.25067"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-th",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A discrete series gauge field at the late-time boundary of $dS_4$",
  "title_text": "A discrete series gauge field at the late-time boundary of dS_4",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:35Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2ty4cvwdt51g",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}