The quantum theory of the quadratic gravity action for heterotic strings (Q1863109)

The wave function for the quadratic gravity theory derived from the heterotic string effective action is deduced to first order in \(\frac{e^{-\Phi}}{g^2_4}\) by solving a perturbed second-order Wheeler-DeWitt equation, assuming that the potential is slowly varying with respect to \(\Phi\). Predictions for inflation continue to hold for this higher-order theory. The authors use the formal expressions for the average paths in minisuperspace to determine the shifts from the classical solutions, which occur only at third order in the expansion of the functional integral representing the expectation value.