The scheme of using the Chern-Simons action to regularize the gravitational Hamiltonian constraint is extended to including the Lorentzian term in the $k=0$ cosmological model. The Euclidean term and the Lorenzian term are thus regularized separately mimicking the treatment of full loop quantum gravity. The new quantum dynamics for the spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model with a massless scalar field as an emergent time is studied. By semiclassical analysis, the effective Hamiltonian constraint is obtained, which indicates that the new quantum dynamics has the correct classical limit. The classical big-bang singularity is again replaced by a quantum bounce. Similar to the case of quantizing only the Euclidean term, the backward evolution of the cosmological model determined by the new effective Hamiltonian will be bounced to an asymptotic de Sitter universe coupled to a massless scalar field, while the problem of negative energy density of matter in the former case is resolved.
It is shown that the standard no-boundary wave function has a natural expression in terms of a Lorentzian path integral with its contour defined by Picard-Lefschetz theory. The wave function is real, satisfies the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and predicts an ensemble of asymptotically classical, inflationary universes with nearly-Gaussian fluctuations and with a smooth semiclassical origin.
We derive a sufficient set of conditions on the Euclidean boundary theory in dS/CFT for it to predict classical, Lorentzian bulk evolution at large spatial volumes. Our derivation makes use of a canonical transformation to express the bulk wave function at large volume in terms of the sources of the dual partition function. This enables a sharper formulation of dS/CFT. The conditions under which the boundary theory predicts classical bulk evolution are stronger than the criteria usually employed in quantum cosmology. We illustrate this in a homogeneous isotropic minisuperspace model of gravity…
In minisuperspace quantum cosmology, the Lorentzian path integral formulations of the no-boundary and tunneling proposals have recently been analyzed. But it has been pointed out that the wave function of linearized perturbations around a homogeneous and isotropic background is of an inverse Gaussian form and thus that their correlation functions are divergent. In this paper, we revisit this issue and consider the problem of perturbations in Lorentzian quantum cosmology by modifying the dispersion relation based on trans-Planckian physics. We consider two modified dispersion relations, the gen…
The Hamiltonian constraint is the key element of the canonical formulation of LQG coding its dynamics. In Ashtekar-Barbero variables it naturally splits into the so called Euclidean and Lorentzian parts. However, due to the high complexity of this operator, only the matrix elements of the Euclidean part have been considered so far. Here we evaluate the action of the full constraint, including the Lorentzian part. The computation requires an heavy use of SU(2) recoupling theory and several tricky identities among n-j symbols are used to find the final result: these identities, together with the…
We argue that the Lorentzian path integral is a better starting point for quantum cosmology than the Euclidean version. In particular, we revisit the mini-superspace calculation of the Feynman path integral for quantum gravity with a positive cosmological constant. Instead of rotating to Euclidean time, we deform the contour of integration over metrics into the complex plane, exploiting Picard-Lefschetz theory to transform the path integral from a conditionally convergent integral into an absolutely convergent one. We show that this procedure unambiguously determines which semiclassical saddle…
We employ the methods of discrete (Lorentzian) Regge calculus for analysing Lorentzian quantum cosmology models with a special focus on discrete analogues of the no-boundary proposal for the early universe. We use a simple 4-polytope, a subdivided 4-polytope and shells of discrete 3-spheres as triangulations to model a closed universe with cosmological constant, and examine the semiclassical path integral for these different choices. We find that the shells give good agreement with continuum results for small values of the scale factor and in particular for finer discretisations of the boundar…
For the construction of the Lorentzian path integral for gravity one faces two main questions: Firstly, what configurations to include, in particular whether to allow Lorentzian metrics that violate causality conditions. And secondly, how to evaluate a highly oscillatory path integral over unbounded domains. Relying on Picard-Lefschetz theory to address the second question for discrete Regge gravity, we will illustrate that it can also answer the first question. To this end we will define the Regge action for complexified variables and study its analytical continuation. Although there have bee…
We study the cosmological sector of the Lorentzian Barrett-Crane (BC) model coupled to a free massless scalar field in its Group Field Theory (GFT) formulation, corresponding to the mean-field hydrodynamics obtained from coherent condensate states. The relational evolution of the condensate with respect to the scalar field yields effective dynamics of homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies, similar to those previously obtained in $\text{SU}(2)$-based EPRL-like models. Also in this manifestly Lorentzian setting, in which only continuous $\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$-representations are used, we obta…
In this paper we study some aspects of classical and quantum cosmology in the novel-Gauss-Bonnet (nGB) gravity in four space-time dimensions. Starting with a generalised Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson Walker (FLRW) metric respecting homogeneity and isotropicity in arbitrary space-time dimension $D$, we find the action of theory in four spacetime dimension where the limit $D\to4$ is smoothly obtained after an integration by parts. The peculiar rescaling of Gauss-Bonnet coupling by factor of $D-4$ results in a non-trivial contribution to the action. We study the system of equation of motion to fir…
We discuss the quantization of vacuum Bianchi I spacetimes in the modified formalism of loop quantum cosmology recently proposed by Dapor and Liegener. This modification is based on a regularization procedure where both the Euclidean and Lorentzian terms of the Hamiltonian are treated independently. Whereas the Euclidean part has already been dealt with in the literature for Bianchi I spacetimes, the Lorentzian one has not yet been represented quantum mechanically. After a brief review of the quantum kinematics and the quantization of the Euclidean sector, we represent the Lorentzian part of t…
Quantum mechanical transition amplitudes directly tells the probability of each transition and which one is more favourable. Path-integrals offers a systematic methodology to compute this quantum mechanical process in a consistent manner. Although it is not complicated in simple quantum mechanical system but defining path-integral legitimately becomes highly nontrivial in the context of quantum-gravity, where apart from usual issues of renormalizability, regularisation, measure, gauge-fixing, boundary conditions, one still has to define the sensible integration contour for convergence. Picard-…
Dimensional (In)dependence of Lorentzian Quantum Cosmology
RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS), RIKEN（理化学研究所交叉理论数学科学中心（iTHEMS））；Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University（埼玉大学理工学研究科）；Osaka Central Advanced Mathematical Institute (OCAMI), Osaka Metropolitan University（大阪公立大学大阪中央高级数学研究所（OCAMI））；Department of Physics, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University（日本大学人文科学部物理学系）；Center for Gravitational Physics and Quantum Information, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学汤川理论物理研究所引力物理与量子信息研究中心）；Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University（名古屋大学小林-益川粒子宇宙起源研究所）
We analyse the impact of various boundary conditions on the (minisuperspace) Lorentzian gravitational path integral. In particular we assess the implications for the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary wavefunction. It was shown recently that when this proposal is defined as a sum over compact metrics, problems arise with the stability of fluctuations. These difficulties can be overcome by an especially simple implementation of the no-boundary idea: namely to take the Einstein-Hilbert action at face value while adding no boundary term. This prescription simultaneously imposes an initial Neumann boundar…
We propose an approach to quantum cosmology of integrable models. To analyze the models with two dynamical variables, we introduce equivalent Hamiltonians in reduced phase spaces, which are obtained with the aid of the Faddeev--Jackiw method. Quantum dynamics of the models can be studied by using the equivalent Hamiltonians with various techniques.
A review of the path integral approach to quantum cosmology and its relation to canonical quantisation. The initial derivation of the Hartle-Hawking and Vilenkin wavefunctions from the Euclidean Einstein-Hilbert action, and later, from the Lorentzian path integral using Picard-Lefshets Theory is discussed. Path integral quantisation of the Einstein-Cartan action is then employed to obtain the wavefunctions for minisuperspace closed FRW universes dominated by matter and radiation. These calculations are complimentary to those recently carried out by Magueijo using canonical quantisation of the …
We show that within the Ashtekar formulation of General Relativity a considerably simple and compact form of the Lorentzian Hamiltonian constraint occurs for a particular value of the Barbero--Immirzi parameter.
Loop quantum cosmology predicts that quantum gravity effects resolve the big-bang singularity and replace it by a cosmic bounce. Furthermore, loop quantum cosmology can also modify the form of primordial cosmological perturbations, for example by reducing power at large scales in inflationary models or by suppressing the tensor-to-scalar ratio in the matter bounce scenario; these two effects are potential observational tests for loop quantum cosmology. In this article, I review these predictions and others, and also briefly discuss three open problems in loop quantum cosmology: its relation to…
To inherit more features of full loop quantum Brans-Dicke theory, the Euclidean and Lorentzian terms of the Hamiltonian constraint are quantized independently in loop quantum Brans-Dicke cosmology. An alternative Hamiltonian constraint operator and its effective expression are obtained in the cosmological model. A residual quantum correction term is found in the effective Hamiltonian constraint, which has no analog in the effective Hamiltonian of the loop quantum cosmology from general relativity. The dynamics driven by this effective Hamiltonian constraint is analyzed in detail. For the physi…
We study whether it is possible to design a "classical" spatially flat bouncing cosmology or a static, spherically symmetric asymptotically flat Lorentzian wormhole in cubic Galileon theories interacting with an extra scalar field. We show that bouncing models are always plagued with gradient instabilities, while there are always ghosts in wormhole backgrounds.
Within the context of the Ashtekar variables, the Hamiltonian constraint of four-dimensional pure General Relativity with cosmological constant, $Λ$, is reexpressed as an affine algebra with the commutator of the imaginary part of the Chern-Simons functional, $Q$, and the positive-definite volume element. This demonstrates that the affine algebra quantization program of Klauder can indeed be applicable to the full Lorentzian signature theory of quantum gravity with non-vanishing cosmological constant; and it facilitates the construction of solutions to all of the constraints. Unitary, irreduci…
A new Hamiltonian formulation of the minisuperspace cosmology following from the geodetic brane gravity model introduced by Regge and Teitelboim is presented. The model is considered in the framework of higher derivative theories which facilitates Hamiltonian formulation. The analysis is done using the equivalent first order approach. The constraint algebra is shown to realize a truncated Virasoro algebra. The gauge generator containing the exact number of gauge parameters is constructed. Equivalence between the gauge and reparametrization symmetries has been demonstrated. Complete gauge fixed…
We consider $n+1$ dimensional smooth Riemannian and Lorentzian spaces satisfying Einstein's equations. The base manifold is assumed to be smoothly foliated by a one-parameter family of hypersurfaces. In both cases---likewise it is usually done in the Lorentzian case---Einstein's equations may be split into `Hamiltonian' and `momentum' constraints and a `reduced' set of field equations. It is shown that regardless whether the primary space is Riemannian or Lorentzian whenever the foliating hypersurfaces are Riemannian the `Hamiltonian' and `momentum' type expressions are subject to a subsidiary…
In this paper, a new Hamiltonian constraint operator for loop quantum cosmology is constructed by using the Chern-Simons action. The quantum dynamics of the $k=0$ cosmological model with respect to a massless scalar field as an emergent time is determined by a difference equation. The semiclassical analysis shows that the new quantum dynamics has the correct classical limit, and the classical big-bang singularity is again replaced by the quantum bounce. Interestingly, the inverse time evolution of the flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model determined by the effective Hamiltonian wi…
Since there are quantization ambiguities in constructing the Hamiltonian constraint operator in isotropic loop quantum cosmology, it is crucial to check whether the key features of loop quantum cosmology, such as the quantum bounce and effective scenario, are robust against the ambiguities. In this paper, we consider a typical quantization ambiguity arising from the quantization of the field strength of the gravitational connection. An alternative Hamiltonian constraint operator is constructed, which is shown to have the correct classical limit by the semiclassical analysis. The effective Hami…
Instantons and unitarity in quantum cosmology with fixed four-volume
我们在所谓的广义相对论的幺模版本中找到了爱因斯坦方程的一些复解，并将它们解释为鞍点，从而在具有“无边界”型拓扑的时空流形上的几乎处处洛伦兹度规的空间上得到引力路径积分的估计。在这种情况下，无边界初始条件与量子测度的可定义性的相容性归结为无边界波函数的归一化性和幺正演化。我们考虑具有空间拓扑S^3的陶布小超空间模型中的时空拓扑R^4和RP^4 # R^4，以及具有空间拓扑T^3的比安基I型小超空间模型中的时空拓扑R^2 x T^2。在每种情况下，都存在一个复杂的鞍点（或鞍点的组合），它产生一个与正规化和幺正演化相容的波函数。这种鞍点的存在倾向于证明幺模理论比传统的爱因斯坦引力更少发散。在比安基I型的情况下，杰出的复杂的解决方案是近似真实的和洛伦兹在晚些时候，似乎描述了爆炸性膨胀从零尺寸在T=0。(In与此相反，在陶布的情况下，唯一具有近似洛伦兹晚期行为的复解产生一个波函数，它是可归一化的，但非幺正地演化，总概率在幺正模“时间”中呈指数增长，其方式表明在零体积下不断创造新的宇宙。）提出了包含更多自由度后这些结果的稳定性问题。
Since there are quantization ambiguities in constructing the Hamiltonian constraint operator in isotropic loop quantum cosmology, it is crucial to check whether the key features of loop quantum cosmology are robust against the ambiguities. In this paper, we quantize the Lorentz term of the gravitational Hamiltonian constraint in the spatially flat FRW model by two approaches different from that of the Euclidean term. One of the approaches is very similar to the treatment of the Lorentz part of Hamiltonian in loop quantum gravity and hence inherits more features from the full theory. Two symmet…
We study the path integral formulation of Friedmann universe filled with a massless scalar field in loop quantum cosmology. All the isotropic models of $k=0,+1,-1$ are considered. To construct the path integrals in the timeless framework, a multiple group-averaging approach is proposed. Meanwhile, since the transition amplitude in the deparameterized framework can be expressed in terms of group-averaging, the path integrals can be formulated for both deparameterized and timeless frameworks. Their relation is clarified. It turns out that the effective Hamiltonian derived from the path integral …
