What can quantum cosmology say about the inflationary universe?

We propose a method to extract predictions from quantum cosmology for inflation that can be confronted with observations. Employing the tunneling boundary condition in quantum geometrodynamics, we derive a probability distribution for the inflaton field. A sharp peak in this distribution can be interpreted as setting the initial conditions for the subsequent phase of inflation. In this way, the peak sets the energy scale at which the inflationary phase has started. This energy scale must be consistent with the energy scale found from the inflationary potential and with the scale found from a potential observation of primordial gravitational waves. Demanding a consistent history of the universe from its quantum origin to its present state, which includes decoherence, we derive a condition that allows one to constrain the parameter space of the underlying model of inflation. We demonstrate our method by applying it to two models: Higgs inflation and natural inflation.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to the Proceedings of the DICE14 meeting, Castiglioncello, September 201

Quantum cosmological consistency condition for inflation

We investigate the quantum cosmological tunneling scenario for inflationary models. Within a path-integral approach, we derive the corresponding tunneling probability distribution. A sharp peak in this distribution can be interpreted as the initial condition for inflation and therefore as a quantum cosmological prediction for its energy scale. This energy scale is also a genuine prediction of any inflationary model by itself, as the primordial gravitons generated during inflation leave their imprint in the B-polarization of the cosmic microwave background. In this way, one can derive a consistency condition for inflationary models that guarantees compatibility with a tunneling origin and can lead to a testable quantum cosmological prediction. The general method is demonstrated explicitly for the model of natural inflation.Comment: 1+16 pages, 3 figures. v2: typos corrected, minor improvement of the discussio

Tunneling cosmological state revisited: Origin of inflation with a non-minimally coupled Standard Model Higgs inflaton

We suggest a path integral formulation for the tunneling cosmological state, which admits a consistent renormalization and renormalization group (RG) improvement in particle physics applications of quantum cosmology. We apply this formulation to the inflationary cosmology driven by the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson playing the role of an inflaton with a strong non-minimal coupling to gravity. In this way a complete cosmological scenario is obtained, which embraces the formation of initial conditions for the inflationary background in the form of a sharp probability peak in the distribution of the inflaton field and the ongoing generation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) spectrum on this background. Formation of this probability peak is based on the same RG mechanism which underlies the generation of the CMB spectrum which was recently shown to be compatible with the WMAP data in the Higgs mass range $135.6 {\rm GeV} \lesssim M_H\lesssim 184.5 {\rm GeV}$. This brings to life a convincing unification of quantum cosmology with the particle phenomenology of the SM, inflation theory, and CMB observations.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, LaTe

An augmented reality study for public participation in urban planning

Ongoing urbanisation processes invoke immense construction activities, for which citizens often participate in planning. Yet, imagining planned buildings based on visual representations is a highly demanding task. While traditional methods, such as construction spans, 2D, or 3D visualisation often fail to offer a complete picture, we propose Augmented Reality (AR) as a more adequate tool. We first present an evaluation of the suitability of AR compared to construction spans for a future building and assess which degree of abstraction of AR is most effective, as well as difficulty of interpreting them correctly. In a between-subjects field study we compare construction spans and a prototype AR application including three levels of detail (LOD) of the same building project. Participants solve two estimation tasks using the construction spans and six estimation tasks using the AR application, before answering a questionnaire on the different visualisation methods. We find participants are confident about the potential of AR, but no significant differences between the different LOD groups in subjective assessment. Results suggest that previous knowledge (e.g. in GIS) may have a positive impact on dimension estimation performance. Also, details, such as façade elements or windows, could facilitate estimation tasks because they allow inferences about a building’s size

The Modulatory Influence of the Functional COMT Val158Met Polymorphism on Lexical Decisions and Semantic Priming

The role of the prefrontal Cortex (PFC) in higher cognitive functions – including working memory, conflict resolution, set shifting and semantic processing – has been demonstrated unequivocally. Despite the great heterogeneity among tasks measuring these phenotypes, due in part to the different cognitive sub-processes implied and the specificity of the stimulus material used, there is agreement that all of these tasks recruit an executive control system located in the PFC. On a biochemical level it is known that the dopaminergic system plays an important role in executive control functions. Evidence comes from molecular genetics relating the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism to working memory and set shifting. In order determine whether this pattern of findings generalises to linguistic and semantic processing, we investigated the effects of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism in lexical decision making using masked and unmasked versions of the semantic priming paradigm on N = 104 healthy subjects. Although we observed strong priming effects in all conditions (masked priming, unmasked priming with short/long stimulus asynchronies (SOAs), direct and indirect priming), COMT was not significantly related to priming, suggesting no reliable influence on semantic processing. However, COMT Val158Met was strongly associated with lexical decision latencies in all priming conditions if considered separately, explaining between 9 and 14.5% of the variance. Therefore, the findings indicate that COMT mainly influences more general executive control functions in the PFC supporting the speed of lexical decisions

Sequential doping of solid chunks of a conjugated polymer for body-heat-powered thermoelectric modules

Sequential doping of 1 mm3 sized cubes of regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane is found to result in a doping gradient. The dopant ingresses into the solid material and after two weeks of sequential doping yields a 250 μm thick doped surface layer, while the interior of the cubes remains undoped. The doping gradient is mapped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), which is used to estimate a diffusion coefficient of 1 7 10-10 cm2 s-1 at room temperature. The cubes, prepared by pressing at 150 \ub0C, feature alignment of polymer chains along the flow direction, which yields an electrical conductivity of 2.2 S cm-1 in the same direction. A 4-leg thermoelectric module was fabricated with slabs of pressed and doped P3HT, which generated a power of 0.22 μW for a temperature gradient of 10.2 \ub0C generated by body heat