The Impact of Quantum Cosmology on Quantum Field Theory
arXiv:gr-qc/9506046
Abstract
The basic problem of quantum cosmology is the definition of the quantum state of the universe, with appropriate boundary conditions on Riemannian three-geometries. This paper describes recent progress in the corresponding analysis of quantum amplitudes for Euclidean Maxwell theory and linearized gravity. Within the framework of Faddeev-Popov formalism and zeta-function regularization, various choices of mixed boundary conditions lead to a deeper understanding of quantized gauge fields and quantum gravity in the presence of boundaries.
14 pages, plain TEX, to appear in Proceedings of the Moscow Quantum Gravity Seminar, Moscow, June 12 - June 19, 1995