Safe beginning for the Universe?

Abstract

When general relativity is augmented by quadratic gravity terms, it becomes a renormalizable theory of gravity. This theory may admit a non-Gaussian fixed point as envisaged in the asymptotic safety program, rendering the theory trustworthy to energies up to the Planck scale and even beyond. We show that requiring physical solutions to have a finite action imposes a strong selection on big-bang-type universes. More precisely, we find that, in the approach to zero volume, both anisotropies and inhomogeneities are suppressed while the scale factor is required to undergo accelerated expansion. This provides initial conditions which are favorable to the onset of an inflationary phase while also providing a suitable starting point for the second law of thermodynamics in the spirit of the Weyl curvature hypothesis.