Quantum coherence, wormholes, and the cosmological constant

Journal Article · Tue Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Physical Review (Section) D: Particles and Fields; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.40.1053· OSTI ID:5667193

Unruh, W G ^[1]

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1. Cosmology Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and Department of Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2A6 (CA)

Coleman has argued that if wormhole solutions to the Euclidean action coupled to matter dominate the Euclidean path integral for quantum gravity, they do not lead to a loss of quantum coherence for wave functions in our Universe. Furthermore, they also lead to the prediction that the ultimate'' cosmological constant is zero. I analyze the assumptions that go into this result and argue that the presence of wormhole solutions does lead to a loss of quantum coherence and, furthermore, completely destroys the Euclidean quantum theory by producing a highly nonlocal effective Euclidean action which is violently unbounded from below.

• OSTI ID: 5667193
• Journal Information: Physical Review (Section) D: Particles and Fields; (USA), Vol. 40:4; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
QUANTUM GRAVITY
WAVE FUNCTIONS
UNIVERSE
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
EUCLIDEAN SPACE
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
METRICS
SPACE-TIME
EQUATIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RIEMANN SPACE
SPACE
640106* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Cosmology
657003 - Theoretical & Mathematical Physics- Relativity & Gravitation