Citation

BibTex format

@article{Albertini:2022:11/036,
author = {Albertini, E and Alexander, S and Herczeg, G and Magueijo, J},
doi = {11/036},
journal = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics},
pages = {1--14},
title = {Torsion and the probability of inflation},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/11/036},
volume = {2022},
year = {2022}
}
Download

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - We revisit the problem of the "probability of inflation" from the point of view of the Einstein-Cartan theory, where torsion can be present off-shell even in the absence of spinorial currents. An informal estimate suggests that the barrier for tunneling from "nothing" into a classical universe becomes thinner and lower, should torsion be present, even if only off-shell. We perform a detailed calculation that supports this informal estimate for the case of torsion eigenstates. Finally, we impose a quantum mechanical analog of the zero-torsion condition by restricting to states for which the expectation value of the torsion vanishes. An explicit family of such states is obtained by building wave-packets from linear superpositions of torsion eigenstates with Gaussian weights centered around zero torsion. The tunneling probability for these wave packets is maximized when the variance of the torsion goes to zero. Hence, by considering these wave-packets as the physical states, we recover a sensible model of quantum cosmology that incorporates quantum fluctuations in the torsion, despite the apparently unacceptable conclusions one draws from naïvely considering the tunneling probabilities for the torsion eigenstates.
AU  - Albertini,E
AU  - Alexander,S
AU  - Herczeg,G
AU  - Magueijo,J
DO  - 11/036
EP  - 14
PY  - 2022///
SN  - 1475-7516
SP  - 1
TI  - Torsion and the probability of inflation
T2  - Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/11/036
UR  - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/11/036
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/102078
VL  - 2022
ER  -
Download

Note to staff:  Adding new publications to a research group

  1. Log in to Symplectic.
  2. Click on Menu > Create Links
  3. Choose what you want to create links between – in this case ‘Publications’ and ‘Organisational structures’.
  4. Choose the organisational structure (research group) into which you want to link the publications and check the box next to it.
  5. Now check the box of any publication you want to add to that group. You can use the filters to find what you want and select multiple publications if necessary. 
  6. Scroll to the bottom and click the blue ‘Create new link’ button to link them.
  7. The publications will be added to the group, and will be displayed on the group publications feed within 24 hours (it is not immediate).

Any problems, talk to Tim Evans or the Faculty Web Team.