[paper] Defining Multiverses

From: Amara Graps (amara@amara.com)
Date: Mon May 19 2003 - 09:31:38 MDT

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    http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0305292

    Astrophysics, abstract
    astro-ph/0305292

    From: Ulrich Kirchner <uli@cosmology.mth.uct.ac.za>
    Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 05:31:54 GMT (113kb)

    Defining Multiverses

    Authors: G.F.R. Ellis, U. Kirchner, W.R. Stoeger
    Comments: 28 pages, 2 figures

          The idea of a multiverse - an ensemble of universes - has received
          increasing attention in cosmology, both as the outcome of the
          originating process that generated our own universe, and as an
          explanation for why our universe appears to be fine-tuned for
          life. Here we carefully consider how multiverses should be
          defined, stressing the distinction between the collection of all
          possible universes, and ensembles of really existing universes or
          universe domains (essential for anthropic arguments). We show that
          such realised ensembles are by no means unique. A measure on the
          space of all universes or universe domains is needed so that
          probabilities can be calculated. We examine these issues in the
          case of the set of Friedmann-Lema\^{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW)
          universes, and consider scenarios like chaotic inflation which
          propose how ensembles of universe domains may be generated.
          Finally, we discuss philosophical and meta-scientific issues
          raised by the concept of a really existing ensemble.

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    References and citations for this submission:
    SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to , cited by, arXiv reformatted)

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