Semiclassical Gravity and Mesoscopic Physics

Abstract

Developments in theoretical cosmology in the recent decades show a close connection with particle physics, quantum gravity and unified theories. Answers or hints to many fundamental questions in cosmology like the homogeneity and isotropy of the Universe, the sources of structure formation and entropy generation, and the initial state of the Universe can be traced back to the activities of quantum fields and the dynamics of spacetime from the Grand Unification time to the Planck time at $10^{-43} sec$. A closer depiction of this primordial state of the Universe requires at least a semiclassical theory of gravity and the consideration of non-equilibrium statistical processes involving quantum fields. This critical state is intermediate between the well-known classical epoch successfully described by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity and the completely unknown realm of quantum gravity. Many issues special to this stage such as the transition from quantum to classical spacetime via decoherence, cross-over behavior at the Planck scale, tunneling and particle creation, or growth of density contrast from vacuum fluctuations share some basic concerns of mesoscopic physics for condensed matter, atoms or nuclei, in the quantum/classical and the micro/macro interfaces, or the discrete/continuum and the stochastic/ deterministic transitions. We point out that underlying these issues are three main factors: quantum coherence, fluctuations and correlation. We discuss how a deeper understanding of these aspects of fields and spacetimes can help one to address some basic problems, such as Planck scale metric fluctuations, cosmological phase transition and structure formation, and the black hole entropy, end-state and information paradox.