Quantum transitions through cosmological singularities

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2017/07/007· OSTI ID:22676121

Bramberger, Sebastian F.; Lehners, Jean-Luc ^[1]; Hertog, Thomas; Vreys, Yannick ^[2]

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1. Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), 14476 Potsdam-Golm (Germany)
2. Institute for Theoretical Physics, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven (Belgium)

In a quantum theory of cosmology spacetime behaves classically only in limited patches of the configuration space on which the wave function of the universe is defined. Quantum transitions can connect classical evolution in different patches. Working in the saddle point approximation and in minisuperspace we compute quantum transitions connecting inflationary histories across a de Sitter like throat or a singularity. This supplies probabilities for how an inflating universe, when evolved backwards, transitions and branches into an ensemble of histories on the opposite side of a quantum bounce. Generalising our analysis to scalar potentials with negative regions we identify saddle points describing a quantum transition between a classically contracting, crunching ekpyrotic phase and an inflationary universe.

• OSTI ID: 22676121
• Journal Information: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Journal Issue: 07 Vol. 2017; ISSN 1475-7516
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
APPROXIMATIONS
CONFIGURATION
COSMOLOGY
DE SITTER SPACE
INFLATIONARY UNIVERSE
PHARYNX
SINGULARITY
SPACE-TIME
UNIVERSE
WAVE FUNCTIONS