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Closed universes, factorization, and ensemble averaging

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arxiv 2403.13047 v2 pith:Y5J6IJ4P submitted 2024-03-19 hep-th gr-qc

classification hep-thgr-qc
keywords waveclosedensemblefunctionaveragingfactorizationgravityholographic
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
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We study closed universes in holographic theories of quantum gravity. We argue that within any fixed theory, factorization implies there is one unique closed universe state. The wave function of any state that can be prepared by the path integral is proportional to the Hartle-Hawking wave function. This unique wave function depends on the properties of the underlying holographic theory such as the energy spectrum. We show these properties explicitly in JT gravity, which is known to be dual to an ensemble of random Hamiltonians. For each member of the ensemble, the corresponding wave function is erratic as a result of the spectrum being chaotic. After ensemble averaging, we obtain smooth semi-classical wave functions as well as different closed universe states.

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Cited by 6 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. A de Sitter Anti-Scrambling Algebra

    hep-th 2026-07 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

    In a toy model of de Sitter quantum gravity, shockwave time advances break the KMS condition and prevent the Hartle-Hawking state from being a trace on the observer's crossed-product algebra.

  2. A Holographic Map from AdS$_3$ to CFT$_2$

    hep-th 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Semiclassical pure AdS3 gravity states, labelled by fixed-area geodesic networks, are mapped to CFT2 primary states whose wavefunctions are networks of OPE coefficients.

  3. The $\alpha$-states of a string worldsheet

    hep-th 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    The α-states of the Hurwitz worldsheet are symmetric-group characters weighted by the Poissonized Plancherel measure, so string amplitudes are ensemble averages whose weak-coupling limit is Kerov's central limit theorem.

  4. Cosmological correlators in gravitationally-constrained de Sitter states

    hep-th 2025-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Cosmological correlators in gravitationally constrained de Sitter states are conformally invariant and differ from QFT vacuum correlators, but relational observables with a heavy background state can reproduce QFT results.

  5. Observers and Timekeepers: From the Page-Wootters Mechanism to the Gravitational Path Integral

    hep-th 2025-06 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Metric summation produces the problem of time, topology summation produces the one-dimensional Hilbert space, and a timekeeper path integral gives observer-dependent holography.

  6. The Baby Universe is Fine and the CFT Knows It: On Holography for Closed Universes

    hep-th 2025-07 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

    A closed universe in AdS/CFT is not ruled out by recent SWAP-test arguments; the one-dimensional Hilbert space seen from the CFT is external indistinguishability, and CFT data can reconstruct the closed universe's geometry.

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