Bohmian quantum cosmology from the Wheeler-DeWitt equation
Abstract
We construct a Bohmian quantum cosmological model for a spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe filled with a single scalar field whose potential provides a unified description of cold dark matter and dark energy at the background level. Starting from the Einstein-Hilbert action supplemented by a scalar field, we derive the minisuperspace Lagrangian and the associated canonical Hamiltonian formulation. By means of a nontrivial canonical transformation, the minisuperspace dynamics is mapped into that of a two-dimensional hyperbolic oscillator with a fixed frequency ratio, rendering the Wheeler-DeWitt equation exactly solvable by separation of variables. The resulting Wheeler-DeWitt solutions are expressed in terms of parabolic cylinder functions and are parametrised by a continuous separation constant, reflecting the constrained nature of the theory and the absence of a standard Schrödinger time parameter. Adopting the de Broglie-Bohm formulation, we derive deterministic guidance equations in minisuperspace and construct a well-defined Bohmian Hubble parameter directly in terms of the pilot-wave phase. Finally, we present a Wheeler-DeWitt-derived toy wave function for which the Bohmian trajectories and the associated cosmological expansion history can be obtained analytically, reproducing the late-time ΛCDM behaviour while exhibiting quantum modifications at earlier epochs.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physics Letters B
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 875
- Pages
- 140339–140339
- Publication date
- 7 March 2026
- Language
- EN