Carroll, Sean M.
(2014)
In What Sense Is the Early Universe Fine-Tuned?
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(Submitted)
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Abstract
It is commonplace in discussions of modern cosmology to assert that the early
universe began in a special state. Conventionally, cosmologists characterize
this fine-tuning in terms of the horizon and flatness problems. I argue that
the fine-tuning is real, but these problems aren't the best way to think about
it: causal disconnection of separated regions isn't the real problem, and
flatness isn't a problem at all. Fine-tuning is better understood in terms of a
measure on the space of trajectories: given reasonable conditions in the late
universe, the fraction of cosmological histories that were smooth at early
times is incredibly tiny. This discussion helps clarify what is required by a
complete theory of cosmological initial conditions.
Item Type: | Report or Paper (Discussion Paper) |
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ORCID: | |
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Additional Information: | Imported from arXiv.
It is a pleasure to thank David Albert for inspiration and conversations over the years, Barry
Loewer for his patience, Shelly Goldstein for useful discussions, my collaborators Heywood
Tam and Grant Remmen for their invaluable insights, and Tim Maudlin for the interactions
that proximately inspired this paper. This research is funded in part by DOE grant DESC0011632,
and by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant 776 to the
Caltech Moore Center for Theoretical Cosmology and Physics. |
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Group: | Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, Caltech Theory, Moore Center for Theoretical Cosmology and Physics |
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Funders: | Funding Agency | Grant Number |
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Department of Energy (DOE) | DESC0011632 | Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation | 776 | Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics at Caltech | UNSPECIFIED |
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Other Numbering System: | Other Numbering System Name | Other Numbering System ID |
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CALT-TH | 2014-141 |
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DOI: | 10.48550/arXiv.1406.3057v1 |
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Record Number: | CaltechAUTHORS:20140716-105154654 |
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Persistent URL: | https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140716-105154654 |
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Usage Policy: | No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. |
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ID Code: | 47263 |
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Collection: | CaltechAUTHORS |
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Deposited By: |
Joy Painter
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Deposited On: | 16 Jul 2014 23:38 |
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Last Modified: | 02 Jun 2023 00:20 |
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