A Note on the Quantum Creation of Universes

Abstract

We elucidate the nature of the correction to the Hartle-Hawking wavefunction presented in hep-th/$0505104$ and hep-th/$0406107$. The correction comes from the quantum fluctuation of the metric that spontaneously breaks the classical deSitter symmetry. This converts the tunneling from nothing to a deSitter-like universe via a $S^{4}$ instantion to that via a barrel instanton, which is bounded from below. Its generalization to 10 dimensional spacetime allows us to find the preferred sites in the stringy cosmic landscape. We comment on how some of the problems of the Hartle-Hawking wavefunction are avoided with the new modified wavefunction of the universe, when applied to the spontaneous creation of an inflationary universe. We also summarize our arguments on the validity of the Hartle-Hawking wavefunction in the minisuperspace approximation, as opposed to the WKB formula suggested by Linde and Vilenkin.