Tunneling decay rate in quantum cosmology

TL;DR

This paper investigates the decay rate of an oscillating universe in quantum cosmology by introducing a scalar field as a clock, extending previous models to analyze time evolution in the wave function of the universe.

Contribution

It extends an oscillating universe model to include a scalar field acting as a clock, enabling the calculation of decay rates in quantum cosmology.

Findings

Decay rate of the oscillating universe determined

Scalar field effectively serves as a time parameter

Extension of previous models to include matter fields

Abstract

In canonical quantum cosmology, the wave function of the universe lacks explicit time dependence. However, time evolution may be present implicitly through the semiclassical superspace variables, which themselves depend on time in classical dynamics. In this paper, we apply this approach to an oscillating universe model recently introduced by Graham et al. By extending the model to include a massless, minimally coupled scalar field $\phi$ which has little effect on the dynamics but can play the role of a "clock", we determine the decay rate of the oscillating universe.