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    Quantum cosmological background superposition and perturbation predictions

    Kratika Mazde*, Lisa Mickel†, and Patrick Peter‡

    • *Contact author: kratika.mazde@iap.fr
    • †Contact author: lisa.mickel@iap.fr
    • ‡Contact author: patrick.peter@iap.fr

    Phys. Rev. D 113, 026011 – Published 15 January, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mg4q-mkmx

    Abstract

    Predictions from early Universe cosmology typically concern primordial perturbations generated during epochs where effects arising from the quantum nature of gravity may be important, with quantum vacuum fluctuations being stretched to cosmological scales during a phase of inflation. Quantizing the background is then done by assuming a single close-to-classical state over which perturbations grow, as well as a Born-Oppenheimer factorization throughout the relevant phase. We present a scenario in which although the latter factorization remains valid at all times, we allow the background state to be very nonclassical by defining quantum trajectories through an eikonal approximation. We find that these trajectories asymptotically reproduce an almost classical behavior for the background, but the predictions for the power spectrum of perturbations can significantly differ.

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