LETTER: A Simple Quantum Cosmology

A simple and surprisingly realistic model of the origin of the universe can be developed using the Friedmann equation from general relativity, elementary quantum mechanics, and the experimental values of , c, G and the proton mass m_p. The model assumes there are N space dimensions (with N > 6), and the potential constraining the radius r of the invisible N – 3 compact dimensions varies as r⁴. In this model, the universe has zero total energy and is created from nothing. There is no initial singularity. If space-time is eleven dimensional, as required by M theory, the scalar field corresponding to the size of the compact dimensions inflates the universe by about 26 orders of magnitude (60 e-folds). If H₀ = 65 km sec^–1 Mpc^–1, the energy density of the scalar field after inflation results in = 0.68, in agreement with recent COBE and Type SNe Ia supernova data.