DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity
Abstract Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity in two-dimensional de Sitter space is an intriguing model for cosmological “wave functions of the universe”. Its minisuperspace version already contains all physical information. The size of compact slices is parametrized by a scale factor h > 0. The dilato...
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SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of High Energy Physics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2025)049 |
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| author | Wilfried Buchmüller Arthur Hebecker Alexander Westphal |
| author_facet | Wilfried Buchmüller Arthur Hebecker Alexander Westphal |
| author_sort | Wilfried Buchmüller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity in two-dimensional de Sitter space is an intriguing model for cosmological “wave functions of the universe”. Its minisuperspace version already contains all physical information. The size of compact slices is parametrized by a scale factor h > 0. The dilaton ϕ is chosen to have positive values and interpreted as size of an additional compact slice in a higher-dimensional theory. At the boundaries h = 0, ϕ = 0, where the volume of the universe vanishes, the curvature is generically singular. According to a conjecture by DeWitt, solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt (WDW) equation should vanish at singular loci. Recently, the behaviour of JT wave functions at large field values h, ϕ has been obtained by means of a path integral over Schwarzian degrees of freedom of a boundary curve. We systematically analyze solutions of the WDW equation with Schwarzian asymptotic behaviour. We find real analytic solutions that vanish on the entire boundary, in agreement with DeWitt’s conjecture. Projection to expanding and contracting branches may lead to singularities, which can however be avoided by an appropriate superposition of solutions. Our analysis also illustrates the limitations of semiclassical wave functions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c86c8b5bb47c4ecab3f6bd966cb539f1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1029-8479 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| spelling | doaj-art-c86c8b5bb47c4ecab3f6bd966cb539f12025-08-20T04:01:42ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792025-06-012025615110.1007/JHEP06(2025)049DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravityWilfried Buchmüller0Arthur Hebecker1Alexander Westphal2Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESYInstitute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg UniversityDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESYAbstract Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity in two-dimensional de Sitter space is an intriguing model for cosmological “wave functions of the universe”. Its minisuperspace version already contains all physical information. The size of compact slices is parametrized by a scale factor h > 0. The dilaton ϕ is chosen to have positive values and interpreted as size of an additional compact slice in a higher-dimensional theory. At the boundaries h = 0, ϕ = 0, where the volume of the universe vanishes, the curvature is generically singular. According to a conjecture by DeWitt, solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt (WDW) equation should vanish at singular loci. Recently, the behaviour of JT wave functions at large field values h, ϕ has been obtained by means of a path integral over Schwarzian degrees of freedom of a boundary curve. We systematically analyze solutions of the WDW equation with Schwarzian asymptotic behaviour. We find real analytic solutions that vanish on the entire boundary, in agreement with DeWitt’s conjecture. Projection to expanding and contracting branches may lead to singularities, which can however be avoided by an appropriate superposition of solutions. Our analysis also illustrates the limitations of semiclassical wave functions.https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2025)0492D Gravityde Sitter spaceModels of Quantum Gravity |
| spellingShingle | Wilfried Buchmüller Arthur Hebecker Alexander Westphal DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity Journal of High Energy Physics 2D Gravity de Sitter space Models of Quantum Gravity |
| title | DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity |
| title_full | DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity |
| title_fullStr | DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity |
| title_full_unstemmed | DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity |
| title_short | DeWitt wave functions for de Sitter JT gravity |
| title_sort | dewitt wave functions for de sitter jt gravity |
| topic | 2D Gravity de Sitter space Models of Quantum Gravity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2025)049 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wilfriedbuchmuller dewittwavefunctionsfordesitterjtgravity AT arthurhebecker dewittwavefunctionsfordesitterjtgravity AT alexanderwestphal dewittwavefunctionsfordesitterjtgravity |