Abstract
We investigate quantum entanglement of a scalar field in the inflationary universe. By introducing a bipartite system using a lattice model of scalar field, we apply the separability criterion based on the partial transpose operation and numerically calculate the bipartite entanglement between separate spatial regions. We find that the initial entangled state becomes separable or disentangled when the size of the spatial regions exceed the Hubble horizon. This is a necessary condition for the appearance of classicality of the quantum fluctuation. We further investigate the condition for the appearance of the classical distribution function and find that the condition is given by the inequality for the symplectic eigenvalue of the covariance matrix of the scalar field.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 044023 |
Journal | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
Volume | 78 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 12 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)