Unitary and non-unitary evolution in quantum cosmology

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conditions under which unitarity violations occur in quantum cosmology, analyzing backscattering effects in the Wheeler-DeWitt equation and their implications for the interpretation of quantum states.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of backscattering in quantum cosmology, showing its negligible size and discussing the interpretational issues without external systems.

Findings

Backscattering amplitudes are exponentially smaller than matter transition amplitudes.

An intermediate regime exists where matter evolves unitarily without a Schrödinger equation.

Backscattering lacks a unique consistent interpretation in quantum cosmology.

Abstract

We analyse when and why unitarity violations might occur in quantum cosmology restricted to minisuperspace. To this end we discuss in detail backscattering transitions between expanding and contracting solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We first show that upon neglecting only backscattering, one obtains an intermediate regime in which matter evolves unitarily but which does not correspond to any Schr\"odinger equation in a given geometry since gravitational backreaction effects are taken into account at the quantum level. We then show that backscattering amplitudes are exponentially smaller than matter transition amplitudes. Both results follow from an adiabatic treatment valid for macroscopic universes. To understand how backscattering and the intermediate regime should be interpreted, we review the problem of electronic transitions induced by nuclear motion since it is mathematically very similar. In this problem, transition amplitudes are obtained from the conserved current. The same applies to quantum cosmology and shows that the unique consistent interpretation is based on the current when backscattering is neglected. We then review why, in a relativistic context, backscattering is interpreted as pair production whereas it is not in the non relativistic case. In each example the correct interpretation is obtained by coupling the system to an external quantum device. From the absence of such external systems in cosmology, we conclude that backscattering does not have a unique consistent interpretation in quantum cosmology.