Cardy-Verlinde formula and asymptotically de Sitter spaces

In this Letter we discuss the question of whether the entropy of cosmological horizon in some asymptotically de Sitter spaces can be described by the Cardy-Verlinde formula, which is supposed to be an entropy formula of conformal field theory in any dimension. For the Schwarzschild-de Sitter solution, although the gravitational mass is always negative (in the sense of the prescription in hep-th/0110108 to calculate the conserved charges of asymptotically de Sitter spaces), we find that indeed the entropy of cosmological horizon can be given by using naively the Cardy-Verlinde formula. The entropy of pure de Sitter spaces can also be expressed by the Cardy-Verlinde formula. For the topological de Sitter solutions, which have a cosmological horizon and a naked singularity, the Cardy-Verlinde formula also works well. Our result is in favour of the dS/CFT correspondence. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.