Quantum cosmology with electromagnetism

Journal Article · Fri Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.38.478· OSTI ID:7186768

Louko, J

We investigate the semiclassical quantum cosmology of the spatially homogeneous k = +1 Friedmann-Robertson-Walker minisuperspace model with the electromagnetic field included as a small perturbation on the gravitational background. The wave function is chosen adopting the Hartle-Hawking proposal. Owing to conformal invariance, the electromagnetic field remains in its ground state for all times. At small three-geometries the field contributes to the semiclassical prefactor of the wave function a factor of a/sup zeta//sup (0)/, where a is the scale factor and zeta(0) = -(77/180 is the value at zero of the associated generalized zeta function. The semiclassical expansion of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation acquires in the next-to-leading order a divergent sum of the same kind as the corresponding sums coming from fields of spin 0, (1/2, and 2. This suggests that the semiclassical expansion of the analogue of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation might be naturally finite to the next-to-leading order in a theory containing symmetries between fields of different spins.

• Research Organization: Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW, United Kingdom
• OSTI ID: 7186768
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 38:2; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
COSMOLOGY
ELECTROMAGNETISM
ENERGY-MOMENTUM TENSOR
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
MAGNETISM
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PERTURBATION THEORY
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SEMICLASSICAL APPROXIMATION
SPACE-TIME
SPIN
TENSORS
UNIVERSE
WAVE FUNCTIONS