Related papers: Graceful exit from inflation using quantum cosmolo…
This work studies the quantum cosmology of a closed, spatially homogeneous, and isotropic FLRW minisuperspace model with electromagnetic radiation as a matter content. We solve the associated Wheeler-DeWitt (WDW) equation using the…
We heal the cosmological constant problem by means of a \emph{cancellation mechanism} that adopts a phase transition during which quantum fluctuations are eliminated. To this purpose, we propose that a generalized scalar (dark) matter field…
We consider an Einstein-Scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravitational theory, and argue that at early times the Ricci scalar can be safely ignored. We then demonstrate that the pure scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory, with a quadratic coupling function,…
We show that a contracting universe which bounces due to quantum cosmological effects and connects to the hot big-bang expansion phase, can produce an almost scale invariant spectrum of perturbations provided the perturbations are produced…
In this work, a minisuperspace model for the projectable Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz (HL) gravity without the detailed balance condition is investigated. The Wheeler-deWitt equation is derived and its solutions are studied and discussed for some…
In the framework of the Connes-Lott model based on noncommutative geometry, the basic features of a gauge theory in the presence of gravity are reviewed, in order to show the possible physical relevance of this scheme for inflationary…
Inflation and quintessence can both be described by a single scalar field. The cosmic time evolution of this cosmon field realizes a crossover from the region of an ultraviolet fixed point in the infinite past to an infrared fixed point in…
We study a theory which generalizes the nonminimal coupling of matter to gravity by including derivative couplings. This leads to several interesting new dynamical phenomena in cosmology. In particular, the range of parameters in which…
Classical and quantum Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker universes filled with non-interacting radiation and dust fluids are considered in the framework of Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz gravity theory. The Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz theory is set in its…
We derive the stochastic description of a massless, interacting scalar field in de Sitter space directly from the quantum theory. This is done by showing that the density matrix for the effective theory of the long wavelength fluctuations…
The degree of freedom of the scalar field in scalar-tensor gravity is employed as "time" to deparametrize the Hamiltonian constraint of the theory. The deparametrized system is then nonperturbatively quantized by the approach of loop…
The hypothesis of quantum nonequilibrium at the big bang is shown to have observable consequences. For a scalar field on expanding space, we show that relaxation to quantum equilibrium (in de Broglie-Bohm theory) is suppressed for field…
We employ the semiclassical approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in the spatially flat de Sitter Universe to investigate the dynamics of a minimally coupled scalar field near the Planck scale. We find that, contrary to naive…
We consider a gravitational theory that contains the Einstein term, a scalar field and the quadratic Gauss-Bonnet term. We focus on the early-universe dynamics, and demonstrate that the Ricci scalar does not affect the cosmological…
We study an effective four-dimensional theory with an action with two scalar fields minimally coupled to gravity, and with a matter action which couples to the two scalar fields via an overall field-dependent coefficient in the action. Such…
We derive the semiclassical evolution of massless conformally coupled scalar matter in the de Sitter space-time from the Born-Oppenheimer reduction of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We find a remarkable difference with respect to the…
We calculate the quantum gravitational corrections to the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation obtained by the canonical quantization of the inflaton-gravity system. Our approach, which is based on the Born-Oppenheimer decomposition of the resulting…
The detection of a stochastic Gravitational Wave (GW) background sourced by a cosmological phase transition would allow us to see the early Universe from a completely new perspective, illuminating aspects of Beyond the Standard Model (BSM)…
The graceful exit transition from a dilaton-driven inflationary phase to a decelerated Friedmann-Robertson-Walker era requires certain classical and quantum corrections to the string effective action. Classical corrections can stabilize a…
We present a simple, exact and self-consistent cosmology with a phenomenological model of quantum creation of radiation due to decay of the scalar field. The decay drives a non-isentropic inflationary epoch, which exits smoothly to the…