Can singularities be avoided in quantum cosmology?

✍ Scribed by C. Kiefer

• Book ID: 101485137
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 157 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-3804
• DOI: 10.1002/andp.201010417

✦ Synopsis

Many cosmological models based on general relativity contain singularities. In this contribution I address the question whether consistent models without singularities can exist in quantum cosmology. The discussion is based on the Wheeler-DeWitt equation of quantum geometrodynamics. The models under consideration are motivated by recent discussions of dark energy. Employing some natural criteria of singularity avoidance in the quantum theory, I show that this can indeed happen in these models.