The decoherence and interference of cosmological arrows of time for a de sitter universe with quantum fluctuations

Marcello Rotondo, Yasusada Nambu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We consider the superposition of two semiclassical solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for a de Sitter universe, describing a quantized scalar vacuum propagating in a universe that is contracting in one case and expanding in the other, each identifying the opposite cosmological arrow of time. We discuss the suppression of the interference terms between the two arrows of time due to environment-induced decoherence caused by modes of the scalar vacuum crossing the Hubble horizon. Furthermore, we quantify the effect of the interference on the expectation value of the observable field mode correlations, with respect to an observer that we identify with the spatial geometry.

Original languageEnglish
Article number71
JournalUniverse
Volume4
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2018
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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