Decoherence of gauge-invariant metric fluctuations during inflation

MAURICIO BELLINI

PHYSICAL REVIEW D - PARTICLE AND FILDS

American Physical Society

Lugar: New York; Año: 2001 vol. 64 p. 43507 - 43507

0556-2821

I studied the gauge-invariant fluctuations of the metric during inflation. In the infrared sector the metric fluctuations can be represented by a coarse-grained field. I can write a Schrödinger equation for the coarse-grained metric fluctuations which is related to an effective Hamiltonian for a time dependent parameter of mass harmonic oscillator with a stochastic external force. I also studied the wave function for a power-law expanding universe. I find that the phase space of the quantum state for super Hubble scalar metric perturbations loses its coherence at the end of inflation. This effect is a consequence of interference between the super Hubble metric perturbations and its canonical conjugate variable, which is produced by the interaction of the coarse-grained scalar metric fluctuation with the environment.