629 citations · 10.9k across the 156 of their papers we have counts for
158 papers
On quantum creation of a toroidal universe
Alan H. Guth, Alexander Vilenkin
We consider the quantum creation of a universe with flat spatial sections and the topology of a 3-torus, taking into account the effect of Casimir energy. We show that the correspo…
Global String Instantons
Jose J. Blanco-Pillado, Georgios Fanaras, Alexander Vilenkin
We study the formation of gravitating global strings through quantum mechanical tunneling. The instantons that describe the nucleation process are characterized by two parameters:…
Simulating cosmic string loop captured by a rotating black hole
Heling Deng, Andrei Gruzinov, Yuri Levin +1
We study the dynamics of a cosmic string loop captured by a rotating black hole, ignoring string reconnections. A loop is numerically evolved in Kerr spacetime, with the result tha…
Quantum cosmology, eternal inflation, and swampland conjectures
Georgios Fanaras, Alexander Vilenkin
In light of the recent swampland conjectures, we explore quantum cosmology and eternal inflation beyond the slow roll regime. We consider a model of a closed universe with a scalar…
What determines the rest frame of bubble nucleation?
Yilin Chen, Alexander Vilenkin
We revisit the question addressed in recent papers by Garriga et al: What determines the rest frame of pair nucleation in a constant electric field? The conclusion reached in these…
The tunneling wavefunction in Kantowski-Sachs quantum cosmology
Georgios Fanaras, Alexander Vilenkin
We use a path-integral approach to study the tunneling wave function in quantum cosmology with spatial topology and positive cosmological constant (the Kantowsk…