On the quantum origin of the seeds of cosmic structure

The current understanding of the quantum origin of cosmic structure is discussed critically. We point out that in the existing treatments a transition from a symmetric quantum state to an (essentially classical) non-symmetric state is implicitly assumed, but not specified or analyzed in any detail....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Classical and quantum gravity 2006-04, Vol.23 (7), p.2317-2354
Main Authors: Perez, Alejandro, Sahlmann, Hanno, Sudarsky, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics
Exact sciences and technology
General relativity and gravitation
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Theory
Physics
Quantum Physics
Sciences of the Universe
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Summary:The current understanding of the quantum origin of cosmic structure is discussed critically. We point out that in the existing treatments a transition from a symmetric quantum state to an (essentially classical) non-symmetric state is implicitly assumed, but not specified or analyzed in any detail. In facing the issue we are led to conclude that new physics is required to explain the apparent predictive power of the usual schemes. Furthermore we show that the novel way of looking at the relevant issues opens new windows from where relevant information might be extracted regarding cosmological issues and perhaps even clues about aspects of quantum gravity.
ISSN:0264-9381
1361-6382
DOI:10.1088/0264-9381/23/7/008