Classical and Quantum Wormholes in Einstein-Yang-Mills Theory

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum wormholes within Einstein-Yang-Mills theory using a minisuperspace quantum cosmology model, aiming to understand their role in quantum coherence and the universe's evolution from quantum to classical states.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of quantum wormholes in Einstein-Yang-Mills theory through a Wheeler-DeWitt equation framework, extending classical solutions to the quantum domain.

Findings

Quantum wormholes are modeled as solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation with specific boundary conditions.

The minisuperspace model with a cosmological constant illustrates the universe's transition from quantum to classical regimes.

Abstract

Wormhole spacetimes may be responsible for the possible loss of quantum coherence and the introduction of additional fundamental quantum indeterminancy of the values of constants of nature. As a system which is known to admit such classical wormhole solutions, Einstein-Yang-Mills (EYM) theory is revisited. Since the classical wormhole instanton solution in this theory has been studied extensively thus far, in the present work, ``quantum wormholes'' are explored. Namely in the context of a minisuperspace quantum cosmology model based on this EYM theory, ``quantum wormhole'', defined as a state represented by a solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation satisfying an appropriate wormhole boundary condition, is discussed. Finally, it is proposed that the minisuperspace model based on this theory in the presence of the cosmological constant may serve as a simple yet interesting system displaying an overall picture of entire universe's history from the deep quantum domain all the way to the classical domain.