Wave function of the Universe as a sum over eventually inflating universes

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new way to define the wave function of the Universe as a sum over inflating spacetimes, showing it relates to the Hartle-Hawking wave function and leads to scale-invariant perturbation spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a novel prescription for the Universe's wave function using complex analysis and path integral convergence, connecting it to the Hartle-Hawking wave function and perturbation states.

Findings

Wave function proportional to Hartle-Hawking form

Analytic extension of initial conditions in complex plane

Perturbations yield scale-invariant spectra

Abstract

We consider a proposal to define the wave function of the Universe as a sum over spacetimes that eventually inflate. In the minisuperspace model, we explicitly show that a simple family of initial conditions, parametrized by a positive real number $a_0$, can be imposed to realise this prescription. The resulting wave function is found to be proportional to the Hartle-Hawking wave function and its dependence on $a_0$ is only through an overall phase factor. Motivated by this observation, we ask whether it is possible to analytically extend $a_0$ to an extended region $\bar{\mathcal{D}}$ in complex $a_0-$plane, while retaining the Hartle-Hawking form of the wave function. We use the condition for convergence of path integral and a recent theorem due to Kontsevich and Segal, further extended by Witten, to explicitly find $\bar{\mathcal{D}}$. Interestingly, a special point on the boundary of $\bar{\mathcal{D}}$ recovers the exact no-boundary wave function. Following that, we show that our prescription leads to a family of quantum states for the perturbations, which give rise to scale-invariant power spectra. If we demand, as an extra ingredient to our prescription, a matching condition at the "no-boundary point" in $\bar{\mathcal{D}}$, we converge on a unique quantum state for the perturbations.