Symmetric-Bounce Quantum State of the Universe

Abstract

A proposal is made for the quantum state of the universe that has an initial state that is macroscopically time symmetric about a homogeneous, isotropic bounce of extremal volume and that at that bounce is microscopically in the ground state for inhomogeneous and/or anisotropic perturbation modes. The coarse-grained entropy is minimum at the bounce and then grows during inflation as the modes become excited away from the bounce and interact (assuming the presence of an inflaton, and in the part of the quantum state in which the inflaton is initially large enough to drive inflation). The part of this pure quantum state that dominates for observations is well approximated by quantum processes occurring within a Lorentzian expanding macroscopic universe. Because this part of the quantum state has no negative Euclidean action, one can avoid the early-time Boltzmann brains and Boltzmann solar systems that appear to dominate observations in the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary wavefunction.