Time asymmetries in quantum cosmology and the searching for boundary conditions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation

TL;DR

This paper explores how choosing a physical clock in quantum cosmology breaks certain symmetries, affecting boundary conditions for the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and offering new insights into the problem of time.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on time asymmetries in quantum cosmology by analyzing symmetry-breaking due to clock selection and reformulating boundary condition problems.

Findings

Clock-reversal invariance is broken by selecting a physical clock.

The reformulation clarifies boundary condition issues in the Wheeler-DeWitt equation.

Analysis of symmetry-breaking formalism enhances understanding of quantum cosmological models.

Abstract

The paper addresses the quantization of minisuperspace cosmological models by studying a possible solution to the problem of time and time asymmetries in quantum cosmology. Since General Relativity does not have a privileged time variable of the newtonian type, it is necessary, in order to have a dynamical evolution, to select a physical clock. This choice yields, in the proposed approach, to the breaking of the so called clock-reversal invariance of the theory which is clearly distinguished from the well known motion-reversal invariance of both classical and quantum mechanics. In the light of this new perspective, the problem of imposing proper boundary conditions on the space of solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation is reformulated. The symmetry-breaking formalism of previous papers is analyzed and a clarification of it is proposed in order to satisfy the requirements of the new interpretation.