Quantum and Inflationary Cosmology with Higher Derivative Gravity

Citation

Mijić, Milan B. (1987) Quantum and Inflationary Cosmology with Higher Derivative Gravity. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/1sz4-gt36. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:08022017-083105707

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is the description of the Very Early Universe, from the Big Bang to the beginning of the radiation-dominated Friedman-Roberston-Walker era. We examine a pure gravity inflationary model for the Universe which is based on adding ƐR² term to the usual gravitational Lagrangian ("improved Starobinsky model"). We find the classical inflationary solution essentially independent of initial conditions. The model has only one free parameter, which is bounded from above by observational constraints on scalar and tensorial perturbations and from below by both the need for standard baryogenesis and the need for galaxy formation. This requires 10¹¹GeV < Ɛ^-1/2 < 10¹³GeV.

The model is interpreted as a Chaotic Inflationary model, with initial conditions for classical evolution being generated by the quantum fluctuations in metric and curvature in Very Early Universe. We discuss those fluctuations using a particular solution of the Wheeler-De Witt equation and find that the inflationary phase is a highly typical event.

Thesis Files