Inflation with Ω≠1\Omega \not = 1

We discuss various models of inflationary universe with $\Omega \not = 1$. A homogeneous universe with $\Omega > 1$ may appear due to creation of the universe "from nothing" in the theories where the effective potential becomes very steep at large $\phi$, or in the theories where the inflaton field $\phi$ nonminimally couples to gravity. Inflation with $\Omega < 1$ generally requires intermediate first order phase transition with the bubble formation, and with a second stage of inflation inside the bubble. It is possible to realize this scenario in the context of a theory of one scalar field, but typically it requires artificially bent effective potentials and/or nonminimal kinetic terms. It is much easier to obtain an open universe in the models involving two scalar fields. However, these models have their own specific problems. We propose three different models of this type which can describe an open homogeneous inflationary universe.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX, parameters of one of the models are slightly modifie

Volume Weighted Measures of Eternal Inflation in the Bousso-Polchinski Landscape

We consider the cosmological dynamics associated with volume weighted measures of eternal inflation, in the Bousso-Polchinski model of the string theory landscape. We find that this measure predicts that observers are most likely to find themselves in low energy vacua with one flux considerably larger than the rest. Furthermore, it allows for a satisfactory anthropic explanation of the cosmological constant problem by producing a smooth, and approximately constant, distribution of potentially observable values of Lambda. The low energy vacua selected by this measure are often short lived. If we require anthropically acceptable vacua to have a minimum life-time of 10 billion years, then for reasonable parameters a typical observer should expect their vacuum to have a life-time of approximately 12 billion years. This prediction is model dependent, but may point toward a solution to the coincidence problem of cosmology.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figure

A symmetry for vanishing cosmological constant: Another realization

A more conventional realization of a symmetry which had been proposed towards the solution of cosmological constant problem is considered. In this study the multiplication of the coordinates by the imaginary number $i$ in the literature is replaced by the multiplication of the metric tensor by minus one. This realization of the symmetry as well forbids a bulk cosmological constant and selects out $2(2n+1)$ dimensional spaces. On contrary to its previous realization the symmetry, without any need for its extension, also forbids a possible cosmological constant term which may arise from the extra dimensional curvature scalar provided that the space is taken as the union of two $2(2n+1)$ dimensional spaces where the usual 4-dimensional space lies at the intersection of these spaces. It is shown that this symmetry may be realized through spacetime reflections that change the sign of the volume element. A possible relation of this symmetry to the E-parity symmetry of Linde is also pointed out.Comment: The version to appear in PLB. The terms "non-orientable space" and "extra-dimensional tranlation" are replaced by "space whose volume element changes sign under extra dimensional reflections" and "extra dimensional reflections", respectively; and typos are correcte

Stationarity of Inflation and Predictions of Quantum Cosmology

We describe several different regimes which are possible in inflationary cosmology. The simplest one is inflation without self-reproduction of the universe. In this scenario the universe is not stationary. The second regime, which exists in a broad class of inflationary models, is eternal inflation with the self-reproduction of inflationary domains. In this regime local properties of domains with a given density and given values of fields do not depend on the time when these domains were produced. The probability distribution to find a domain with given properties in a self-reproducing universe may or may not be stationary, depending on the choice of an inflationary model. We give examples of models where each of these possibilities can be realized, and discuss some implications of our results for quantum cosmology. In particular, we propose a new mechanism which may help solving the cosmological constant problem.Comment: 30 pages, Stanford preprint SU-ITP-94-24, LaTe

The weight for random quark masses

In theories in which the parameters of the low energy theory are not unique, perhaps having different values in different domains of the universe as is possible in some inflationary models, the fermion masses would be distributed with respect to some weight. In such a situation the specifics of the fermion masses do not have a unique explanation, yet the weight provides the visible remnant of the structure of the underlying theory. This paper introduces this concept of a weight for the distribution of masses and provides a quantitative estimate of it from the observed quarks and leptons. The weight favors light quark masses and appears roughly scale invariant (rho ~ 1/m). Some relevant issues, such as the running of the weight with scale and the possible effects of anthropic constraints, are also discussed.Comment: 35pages, 19 figure

STATIONARY SOLUTIONS IN BRANS-DICKE STOCHASTIC INFLATIONARY COSMOLOGY

In Brans-Dicke theory the Universe becomes divided after inflation into many exponentially large domains with different values of the effective gravitational constant. Such a process can be described by diffusion equations for the probability of finding a certain value of the inflaton and dilaton fields in a physical volume of the Universe. For a typical chaotic inflation potential, the solutions for the probability distribution never become stationary but grow forever towards larger values of the fields. We show here that a non-minimal conformal coupling of the inflaton to the curvature scalar, as well as radiative corrections to the effective potential, may provide a dynamical cutoff and generate stationary solutions. We also analyze the possibility of large nonperturbative jumps of the fluctuating inflaton scalar field, which was recently revealed in the context of the Einstein theory. We find that in the Brans--Dicke theory the amplitude of such jumps is strongly suppressed.Comment: 19 pages, LaTe

Quantum Creation of an Open Inflationary Universe

We discuss a dramatic difference between the description of the quantum creation of an open universe using the Hartle-Hawking wave function and the tunneling wave function. Recently Hawking and Turok have found that the Hartle-Hawking wave function leads to a universe with Omega = 0.01, which is much smaller that the observed value of Omega > 0.3. Galaxies in such a universe would be about $10^{10^8}$ light years away from each other, so the universe would be practically structureless. We will argue that the Hartle-Hawking wave function does not describe the probability of the universe creation. If one uses the tunneling wave function for the description of creation of the universe, then in most inflationary models the universe should have Omega = 1, which agrees with the standard expectation that inflation makes the universe flat. The same result can be obtained in the theory of a self-reproducing inflationary universe, independently of the issue of initial conditions. However, there exist two classes of models where Omega may take any value, from Omega > 1 to Omega << 1.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures. New materials are added. In particular, we show that boundary terms do not help to solve the problem of unacceptably small Omega in the new model proposed by Hawking and Turok in hep-th/9803156. A possibility to solve the cosmological constant problem in this model using the tunneling wave function is discusse

Decoherence, instantons, and cosmological horizons

We consider the possibility that tunneling in a degenerate double-well potential in de Sitter spacetime leads to coherent oscillations of quantum probability to find the system in a given well. We concentrate on the case when the mass scale of the potential is much larger than the Hubble parameter and present a procedure for analytical continuation of the ``time''-dependent instantons, which allows us to study the subsequent real-time evolution. We find that the presence of the de Sitter horizon makes tunneling completely incoherent and calculate the decoherence time. We discuss the difference between this case and the case of a $\theta$-vacuum, when tunneling in de Sitter spacetime preserves quantum coherence.Comment: 21 pages, latex, 3 figure

Some Cosmological Implications of Hidden Sectors

We discuss some cosmological implications of extensions of the Standard Model with hidden sector scalars coupled to the Higgs boson. We put special emphasis on the conformal case, in which the electroweak symmetry is broken radiatively with a Higgs mass above the experimental limit. Our refined analysis of the electroweak phase transition in this kind of models strengthens the prediction of a strongly first-order phase transition as required by electroweak baryogenesis. We further study gravitational wave production and the possibility of low-scale inflation as well as a viable dark matter candidate.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures; some comments added, published versio

GUT Phase Transition and Hybrid Inflation

The supersymmetric model of hybrid inflation is interesting not only because of its naturalness but also because of another reason. Its energy scale determined by the COBE normalization is 10^15 - 10^16 GeV. It happens to be the energy scale of interest in particle physics, namely, the mass scale of right-handed neutrinos or the energy scale of the gauge-coupling unification. It is true that topological defects are produced after the hybrid inflation if it is related to a U(1)_B-L or a GUT-symmetry breaking, and hence one cannot naively identify models of particle physics with that of inflation. But those defects are not necessarily found in modified models. We show in this article that quite a simple extension of the minimal supersymmetric hybrid inflation model is free from monopoles or cosmic strings. Moreover, it happens to be exactly the same as a well-motivated extension of SU(5)-unified theories. The vacuum energy is dominated by F-term. The \eta-problem is not necessarily serious when the model is realized by D-branes. Although it has been considered that a coupling constant has to be very small when the vacuum energy is dominated by F-term, this constraint is not applied either to the D-brane model. They are due to a particular form of the Kahler potential and interaction of the model. Reheating process is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages; references adde