The no boundary density matrix

A bstract We discuss a no-boundary proposal for a subregion of the universe. In the classical approximation, this density matrix involves finding a specific classical solution of the equations of motion with no boundary. Beyond the usual no boundary condition at early times, we also have another no boundary condition in the region we trace out. We can find the prescription by starting from the usual Hartle-Hawking proposal for the wavefunction on a full slice and tracing out the unobserved region in the classical approximation. We discuss some specific subregions and compute the corresponding solutions. These geometries lead to phenomenologically unacceptable probabilities, as expected. We also discuss how the usual Coleman de Luccia bubble solutions can be interpreted as a possible no boundary contribution to the density matrix of the universe. These geometries lead to local (but not global) maxima of the probability that are phenomenologically acceptable.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of High Energy Physics
Published
2025-02-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/jhep02(2025)124
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
16.17

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article

The no boundary density matrix

Yue-Zhou Li, Juan Maldacena, Victor Ivo
14 citations
Journal of High Energy Physics
Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
16.17
article

The no boundary density matrix

Yue-Zhou Li, Juan Maldacena, Victor Ivo
article en
14 citations

Abstract

A bstract We discuss a no-boundary proposal for a subregion of the universe. In the classical approximation, this density matrix involves finding a specific classical solution of the equations of motion with no boundary. Beyond the usual no boundary condition at early times, we also have another no boundary condition in the region we trace out. We can find the prescription by starting from the usual Hartle-Hawking proposal for the wavefunction on a full slice and tracing out the unobserved region in the classical approximation. We discuss some specific subregions and compute the corresponding solutions. These geometries lead to phenomenologically unacceptable probabilities, as expected. We also discuss how the usual Coleman de Luccia bubble solutions can be interpreted as a possible no boundary contribution to the density matrix of the universe. These geometries lead to local (but not global) maxima of the probability that are phenomenologically acceptable.

Journal of High Energy PhysicsVol. 2025(2)
Princeton University (US), Institute for Advanced Study (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
16.17
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