a top down approach (original) (raw)

Article
Report number hep-th/0602091 ; CERN-PH-TH-2006-022
Title Populating the Landscape: : a top down approach
Author(s) Hawking, Stephen William (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) ; Hertog, T (CERN)
Publication 2006
Imprint 9 Feb 2006
Number of pages 22
In: Phys. Rev. D 73 (2006) 123527
DOI 10.1103/PhysRevD.73.123527
Subject category Particle Physics - Theory
Abstract We put forward a framework for cosmology that combines the string landscape with no boundary initial conditions. In this framework, amplitudes for alternative histories for the universe are calculated with final boundary conditions only. This leads to a top down approach to cosmology, in which the histories of the universe depend on the precise question asked. We study the observational consequences of no boundary initial conditions on the landscape, and outline a scheme to test the theory. This is illustrated in a simple model landscape that admits several alternative inflationary histories for the universe. Only a few of the possible vacua in the landscape will be populated. We also discuss in what respect the top down approach differs from other approaches to cosmology in the string landscape, like eternal inflation.

Corresponding record in: Inspire

Record created 2006-02-11, last modified 2018-09-24