Kristin Schleich, Assistant Professor
Research Interests
My current research is mainly in quantum cosmology, the study of the
quantum mechanics of the universe as a whole. Today's universe has very
special properties; it is very old, homogenous and isotropic on distance
scales of megaparsecs, and has Euclidean topology on scales from
subatomic to cosmological distances. Einstein gravity has classical
solutions with these properties, but only for very special initial
conditions. The question thus arises, can we explain the observed
special properties of the universe as consequences of the quantum
mechanics of gravity near the initial singularity.
I am currently studying two aspects of this issue:
- Incorporating topological effects into the quantum dynamics of the
universe and studying their consequences. This study is being carried
out by concretely implementing sums over geometries and topologies using
Regge calculus, a discrete form of Einstein gravity, that allows
topology change to be studied without semiclassical approximations and
without assuming a high degree of symmetry.
- Whether or not various proposals for initial conditions for the
wavefunction of the universe predict the special structure we observe
today. This work involves extending calculations of the wavefunction of
the universe to more general inhomogenous anisotropic models.
Finally I am also studying the evolution of solutions to the Einstein
equations using techniques and methods developed for the study of
dynamical systems.
Selected Publications
"Conformal Rotation in Perturbative Gravity", Phys. Rev. D36, 2342
(1987), K. Schleich.
"Conformal Rotation in Bianchi I Quantum Cosmology", Phys. Rev. D38,
2192 (1989), K. Schleich.
"Constraints on the Topology of Axionic Wormhole Solutions", Class.
Quantum Grav., 9, 89 (1992), K. Schleich and A. Anderson.
"Generalized Sums Over Histories for Quantum Gravity I. Smooth
Conifolds", Nucl. Phys. B, to appear, K. Schleich and D. Witt.
"Generalized Sums Over Histories for Quantum Gravity II. Simplicial
Conifolds", Nucl. Phys. B, to appear, K. Schleich and D. Witt.