Semiclassical Limit and Time in Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

We propose a method to recover the time variable and the classical evolution of the Universe from the minisuperspace wave function of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Defining a Hamilton-Jacobi characteristic function $W$ as the imaginary part of the $\ln \Psi$ we can recover the classical solution, and quantum corrections. The key idea is to let the energy of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation vanish only after the semiclassical limit is taken.

arXiv commentRevTex, 7 pages, no figures; the methodology is clarified and references added