Probing the big bang with quantum fields

DOI10.4310/ATMP.2021.V25.N7.A1MaRDI QIDQ2156269zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Abhay Ashtekar, Tommaso De Lorenzo, Marc Schneider

Publication date 18 July 2022

Published in Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.08506

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Measures of association (correlation, canonical correlation, etc.) (62H20) Methods of quantum field theory in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C47) Relativistic cosmology (83F05) Control/observation systems governed by partial differential equations (93C20) Galactic and stellar structure (85A15) Geometrodynamics and the holographic principle (83E05)

Abstract: By carrying out a systematic investigation of linear, test quantum fields $hatphi(x)$ in cosmological space-times, we show that $hatphi(x)$ remain well-defined across the big bang as operator valued distributions in a large class of Friedmann, Lema^itre, Robertson, Walker space-times, including radiation and dust filled universes. In particular, the expectation values $langlehatphi(x),hatphi(x^{\prime })angle$ are well-defined bi-distributions in the extended space-time in spite of the big bang singularity. Interestingly, correlations between fields evaluated at spatially and temporally separated points exhibit an asymmetry that is reminiscent of the Belinskii, Khalatnikov, Lifshitz behavior. The renormalized products of fields $langlehat{phi}^2(x)angl{e}_{mren}$ and $langlehat{T}_{ab}(x)angl{e}_{mren}$ also remain well-defined as distributions. Conformal coupling is not necessary for these considerations to hold. Thus, when probed with observables associated with quantum fields, the big bang (and the big crunch) singularities are quite harmless.

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(7)

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• Quantum spacetime and the universe at the big bang, vanishing interactions and fading degrees of freedom
• Hybrid geometrodynamics: a Hamiltonian description of classical gravity coupled to quantum matter
• Herglotz action for homogeneous cosmologies
• Fermions in loop quantum gravity and resolution of doubling problem
• Quantization of big bang in crypto-Hermitian Heisenberg picture
• Space-like singularities of general relativity: a phantom menace?

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