<p>We present a quantum quadratic gravity inflationary scenario that can accommodate the new cosmological constraints, which have disfavored Starobinsky inflation. The theory is asymptotically free in the ultraviolet, but 1-loop running is found to dynamically lead to slow-roll inflation toward the infrared. When a large number of matter fields contribute to the beta functions, the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio can be phenomenologically viable. We find that as inflation ends, the theory approaches its strong coupling regime and general relativity must emerge, as an effective field theory, as the universe must reheat and enter its standard radiation era. In order to avoid strong coupling, a minimum tensor-to-scalar ratio of 0.01 is predicted for this theory. Our framework offers a laboratory for connecting a concrete ultraviolet completion (quantum quadratic gravity) with inflationary dynamics, reheating, and precise cosmological observations.</p>

Canada

Ruolin Liu

Jerome Quintin

Niayesh Afshordi

Ultraviolet Completion of the Big Bang in Quadratic Gravity

<p>We explore the possibility that quadratic gravity, as a renormalizable theory, describes the interior of quantum black holes. We find new exact power-law solutions to pure quadratic gravity under spherical symmetry, which are complex valued. The resulting solutions, dubbed powerballs, are horizonless compact objects that become Schwarzschild-like a small distance (of the order of the Planck length) outside the would-be Schwarzschild horizon. We present a description of the global eternal geometry, whose right and left exteriors are Lorentzian and Euclidean Schwarzschild-like regions, respectively, while the complex interior is a form of spiraling spacetime. We compute the total on-shell action integral as a saddle point to a gravitational path integral and discuss the Lorentzian and Euclidean interpretations thereof.</p>

Conformal cores of quantum black holes in quadratic gravity

Many cosmological models assume or imply that the total size of the universe is very large, perhaps even infinite. Here we argue instead that the universe might be comparatively small, in fact not much larger than the currently observed size. A concrete implementation of this idea is provided by the no-boundary proposal, in combination with a plateau-shaped inflationary potential. In this model, opposing effects of the weighting of the wave function and of the criterion of allowability of the geometries conspire to favour small universes. We point out that a small size of the universe also fits well with swampland conjectures, and we comment on the relation with the dark dimension scenario.

Germany

Jean-Luc Lehners

A small Universe

Inflationary spacetimes have been argued to be past geodesically incomplete in many situations. However, whether the geodesic incompleteness implies the existence of an initial spacetime curvature singularity or whether the spacetime may be extended (potentially into another phase of the universe) is generally unknown. Both questions have important physical implications. In this paper, we take a closer look at the geometrical structure of inflationary spacetimes and investigate these very questions. We first classify which past inflationary histories have a scalar curvature singularity and which might be extendible and/or non-singular in homogeneous and isotropic cosmology with flat spatial sections. Then, we derive rigorous extendibility criteria of various regularity classes for quasi-de Sitter spacetimes that evolve from infinite proper time in the past. Finally, we show that beyond homogeneity and isotropy, special continuous extensions respecting the Einstein field equations with a perfect fluid must have the equation of state of a de Sitter universe asymptotically. An interpretation of our results is that past-eternal inflationary scenarios are most likely physically singular, except in situations with very special initial conditions.

Ghazal Geshnizjani

Denmark

Eric Ling

On the initial singularity and extendibility of flat quasi-de Sitter spacetimes

Complex metrics are a double-edged sword: they allow one to replace singular spacetimes, such as those containing a big bang, with regular metrics, yet they can also describe unphysical solutions in which quantum transitions may be more probable than ordinary classical evolution. In the cosmological context, we investigate a criterion proposed by Witten (based on works of Kontsevich &amp; Segal and of Louko &amp; Sorkin) to decide whether a complex metric is allowable or not. Because of the freedom to deform complex metrics using Cauchy’s theorem, deciding whether a metric is allowable in general requires solving a complicated optimisation problem. We describe a method that allows one to quickly determine the allowability of minisuperspace metrics. This enables us to study the off-shell structure of minisuperspace path integrals, which we investigate for various boundary conditions. Classical transitions always reside on the boundary of the domain of allowable metrics, and care must be taken in defining appropriate integration contours for the corresponding gravitational path integral. Perhaps more surprisingly, we find that proposed quantum (‘tunnelling’) transitions from a contracting to an expanding universe violate the allowability criterion and may thus be unphysical. No-boundary solutions, by contrast, are found to be allowable, and moreover we demonstrate that with an initial momentum condition an integration contour over allowable metrics may be explicitly described in arbitrary spacetime dimensions.

Caroline Jonas

Uses of complex metrics in cosmology

The cosmology of the fully α′-corrected duality-invariant action for the Neveu-Schwarz sector of string theory is revisited, with special emphasis on its coupling to matter sources. The role of the duality covariant pressure and dilatonic charge of the matter sector is explored in various contexts, from the low-curvature regime to non-perturbative solutions in α′. We comment on how an infinite tower of α′ corrections allows for fixed-dilaton de Sitter solutions, even in vacuum. We further investigate the necessary conditions for accelerated expansion in the Einstein frame, as well as for non-singular bounces that could resolve the big bang singularity. In particular, explicit examples are constructed, which show that the tower of α′ corrections may support an Einstein-frame non-singular cosmological bouncing background, even when the matter sector respects the null energy condition.

Heliudson Bernardo

Sweden

Guilherme Franzmann

Cosmology at the top of the α′ tower

Over 30 years ago, Barrow and Tipler proposed the principle according to which the action integrated over the entire four-manifold describing the universe should be finite. Here we explore the cosmological consequences of a related criterion, namely, that semiclassical transition amplitudes from the early universe up to current field values should be well defined. On a classical level, our criterion is weaker than the Barrow-Tipler principle, but it has the advantage of being sensitive to quantum effects. We find significant consequences for early universe models, in particular, eternal inflation and strictly cyclic universes are ruled out. Within general relativity, the first phase of evolution cannot be inflationary, and it can be ekpyrotic only if the scalar field potential is trustworthy over an infinite field range. Quadratic gravity eliminates all nonaccelerating backgrounds near a putative big bang (thus imposing favorable initial conditions for inflation), while the expected infinite series of higher-curvature quantum corrections eliminates Lorentzian big bang spacetimes altogether. The scenarios that work best with the principle of finite amplitudes are the no-boundary proposal, which gives finite amplitudes in all dynamical theories that we have studied, and string-inspired loitering phases. We also comment on the relationship of our proposal to the swampland conjectures.

Cosmological consequences of a principle of finite amplitudes

We study the quantum circuit complexity of cosmological perturbations in different models of the early universe. A natural measure for the complexity of cosmological perturbations is based on the symplectic group, allowing us to identify complexity with geodesics in the hyperbolic plane. We investigate the complexity of both the mode functions and the physical perturbations, arguing that the latter often provides a more insightful description of the physics involved. In all models the total complexity reached is rather large. Inflationary perturbations may be represented by a comparatively simple quantum circuit, while the perturbations during a matter-dominated contracting phase present the most rapid growth in complexity. Ekpyrotic perturbations reside in the middle and are distinguished by the smallest growth of complexity before horizon exit. Our analysis serves to highlight how different cosmological models achieve the same end result for the perturbations via different routes and how all models show a pronounced sensitivity to initial conditions.

Quantum circuit complexity of primordial perturbations

We discuss the properties of the gas of primordial “stringy” black holes possibly formed in the high-curvature phase preceding the bouncing transition to the phase of standard cosmological evolution. We show that the regime dominated by such a string-hole gas can be consistently described by explicit solutions of the string effective action including first-order <math><msup><mi>α</mi><mo>′</mo></msup></math> corrections. We present a phase space analysis of the stability of such solutions comparing the results obtained from different actions and including the possibility of <math><mi>O</mi><mo>(</mo><mi>d</mi><mo>,</mo><mi>d</mi><mo>)</mo></math>-symmetric configurations.

Robert H. Brandenberger

Italy

Maurizio Gasperini

CERN

France

Gabriele Veneziano

Stringy black-hole gas in <math><msup><mi>α</mi><mo>′</mo></msup></math>-corrected dilaton gravity

We propose a new realization of axion monodromy inflation in which axion monodromy arises from torsional cycles in a type IIB compactification. A class of monomial potentials is obtained with specific values for the power index. Moreover, the inflaton mass changes profile due to the couplings between various fields after compactification. Consequently, the potential obtains a step-like profile at some critical scale. We study the cosmological implications of one concrete realization of this model. At the background level, it realizes a sufficiently long inflationary stage, which allows for the violation of the slow-roll conditions for a short period of time when the inflaton is close to the critical scale. Accordingly, the Hubble horizon is perturbed and affects the dynamics of primordial cosmological perturbations. In particular, we analyze the angular power spectrum of B-mode polarization and find a boost on very large scales. We also find that the amplitude of scalar perturbations is suppressed near the critical scale. Thus our model provides an interpretation for the low-ℓ suppression of temperature anisotropies in the CMB power spectrum. We examine these effects and confront the model to observations.