Generating a hot big bang as a quantum fluctuation

Journal Article · Mon Sep 30 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · International Journal of Modern Physics A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217751X91001970· OSTI ID:5609412

Kandrup, H E ^[1]; Mazur, P O ^[2]

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1. Dept. of Astronomy, Univ. of Florida (US)
2. Dept. of Physics, UCLA, CA (US)

This paper provides an overview of work exploring the hypothesis that the Universe tunneled into being as a quantum fluctuation. The basic picture is formulated within the context of a semiclassical description, in which the tunneling is interpreted as a gravitational instaton interpolating between some Planck-sized, metrically and topologically complicated, pretunneling entity and a rapidly expanding, topologically trivial, post-tunneling Universe. It is argued that the tunneling hypothesis may provide a simple explanation of gross observed features of the current Universe, such as the fact that it is big, nearly homogeneous and nearly flat, and that the massless particles contained therein seem characterized by a near-thermal distribution.

• OSTI ID: 5609412
• Journal Information: International Journal of Modern Physics A; (United States), Journal Name: International Journal of Modern Physics A; (United States) Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 6:23; ISSN 0217-751X; ISSN IMPAE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661100 -- Classical & Quantum Mechanics-- (1992-)
661300* -- Other Aspects of Physical Science-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EXPANSION
FLUCTUATIONS
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
INSTANTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
METRICS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
QUASI PARTICLES
REVIEWS
SEMICLASSICAL APPROXIMATION
TOPOLOGY
TUNNEL EFFECT
UNIVERSE
VARIATIONS