Related papers: The causality road from dynamical triangulations t…
It is argued here that the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics violates the tenets on which both Galileo's and Einstein's theories of relativity are based. It is postulated that the "building blocks" of the universe are not…
An oscillating universe cycles through a series of expansions and contractions. We propose a model in which ``phantom'' energy with $p < -\rho$ grows rapidly and dominates the late-time expanding phase. The universe's energy density is so…
The vacuum of quantum fields contains correlated fluctuations. When restricted to one side of a surface these have a huge entropy of entanglement that scales with the surface area. If UV physics renders this entropy finite, then a…
This article reviews a recent work by a couple of colleagues and myself about the shortcomings of the standard explanations of the quantum origin of cosmic structure in the inflationary scenario, and a proposal to address them. The point it…
We perform a non-perturbative sum over geometries in a (2+1)-dimensional quantum gravity model given in terms of Causal Dynamical Triangulations. Inspired by the concept of triangulations of product type introduced previously, we impose an…
If gravity is fundamentally quantum, any two quantum particles must get entangled with each other due to their mutual interaction through gravity. This phenomenon, dubbed gravity-mediated entanglement, has led to recent efforts of detecting…
General relativity and its cosmological solution predicts the existence of tensor modes of perturbations evolving on top of our Friedman-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker expanding Universe. Being gauge invariant and not necessarily coupled to…
The macroscopic dimensions of space should not be input but rather output of a general model for physics. Here, dimensionality arises from a recently discovered mathematical bifurcation: positive versus indefinite manifold pairings. It is…
Assuming a cellular structure for the space-time, we propose a model in which the expansion of the universe is understood as a decrumpling process, much like the one we know from polymeric surfaces. The dimension of space is then a…
The local Lorentz and diffeomorphism symmetries of Einstein's gravitational theory are spontaneously broken by a Higgs mechanism by invoking a phase transition in the early Universe, at a critical temperature $T_c$ below which the symmetry…
In this note, it is shown that nonvanishing spatial curvature produces primordial matter in the initially empty universe due to quantum gravity effects. This matter decays faster than radiation and is described by a stiff equation of state.…
We start with the cosmic Friedmann equations, where we adopt a novel perspective rooted in a Lagrangian formulation grounded in Newtonian mechanics and the first law of thermodynamics. Our investigation operates under the assumption that…
In this approach to discrete quantum gravity the basic structural element is a covariant causal set ($c$-causet). The geometry of a $c$-causet is described by a shell-sequence that determines the discrete gravity of a universe. In this…
The early phase of cosmic evolution is still a great topic of interest to the cosmologist community. Especially the mechanism behind the origin of the Universe is yet to be resolved. Most people believe in the Big Bang models (singular…
In this paper, we adopt the Verlinde hypothesis on the origin of gravity as the consequence of the tendency of systems to increase their entropy, and employ the Tsallis statistics. Thereinafter, modifications to the Newtonian second law of…
The dynamical generation of a four-dimensional classical universe from nothing but fundamental quantum excitations at the Planck scale is a long-standing challenge to theoretical physicists. A candidate theory of quantum gravity which…
In this paper, we investigate an important issue addressed by several approaches to quantum cosmology, like that based on loop quantum gravity and string theory: the existence of an arrow of time driving the cosmological evolution according…
The expansion of the Universe is the basis of modern cosmology. This chapter outlines the theory behind the expansion of the universe, including the cosmological principle, distances, velocities, and accelerations. We provide basic…
Observations of the cosmic microwave sky are revealing the primordial non-uniformities from which all structure in the Universe grew. The only known physical mechanism for generating the inhomogeneities we see involves the amplification of…
In the causal set approach to quantum gravity the spacetime continuum arises as an approximation to a fundamentally discrete substructure, the causal set, which is a locally finite partially ordered set. The causal set paradigm was…