Abstract — Boundaries in gravitational systems are essential for defining observables. When an asymptotic boundary is absent, finite size boundaries may be employed to get a grasp of various properties of the system. In this presentation I will discuss how introducing a boundary in the static patch of de Sitter space helps understanding its thermodynamics, specifically entropy derivation and proper interpretation of the first law. I will also share ongoing work on quantizing de Sitter in a 2-dimensional dilaton theory in the presence of timelike boundaries.

Super short bio: Batoul has finished her PhD at the University of Maryland in August 2023 and now is a joint postdoc at UC Santa Cruz and Stanford University.