New quantum phase of the Universe before inflation and its cosmological and dark energy implications

Abstract

The physical history of the Universe is completed by including the quantum Planckian and trans-Planckian phase before inflation in the Standard Model of the Universe in agreement with observations. In the absence of a complete quantum theory of gravity, we start from quantum physics and its foundational milestone. The universal classical-quantum (or wave-particle) duality, which we extend to gravity and the Planck domain. As a consequence, classical, quantum Planckian and super-Planckian regimes are covered, and the usual quantum domain as well. A new quantum precursor phase of the Universe appears beyond the Planck scale [Formula: see text]: [Formula: see text]; the known classical/semiclassical Universe being in the range: [Formula: see text]. We extend in this way the de Sitter Universe to the quantum domain: classical-quantum de Sitter duality. As a result: (i) The classical and quantum dual de Sitter temperatures and entropies are naturally included, and the different (classical, semiclassical, quantum Planckian and trans-Planckian) de Sitter regimes characterized in a precise and unifying way. (ii) We apply it to relevant cosmological examples as the CMB, inflation and dark energy. This allows us to find in a simple and consistent way. (iii) Full quantum inflationary spectra and their CMB observables, including in particular the classical known inflation spectra and the quantum corrections to them. (iv) A whole unifying picture for the Universe epochs and their quantum precursors emerges with the cosmological constant as the vacuum energy, entropy and temperature of the Universe, clarifying the so-called cosmological constant problem which once more in its rich history needed to be revised.