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arXiv · 0808.3770

Properties of the scale factor measure

Raphael Bousso·Ben Freivogel·I-Sheng Yang
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Abstract

We show that in expanding regions, the scale factor measure can be reformulated as a local measure: Observations are weighted by integrating their physical density along a geodesic that starts in the longest-lived metastable vacuum. This explains why some of its properties are similar to those of the causal diamond measure. In particular, both measures are free of Boltzmann brains, subject to nearly the same conditions on vacuum stability. However, the scale factor measure assigns a much smaller probability to the observed value of the cosmological constant. The probability decreases further, like the inverse sixth power of the primordial density contrast, if the latter is allowed to vary.

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Raphael Bousso, Ben Freivogel, I-Sheng Yang. 2009-01-14. Properties of the scale factor measure. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.79.063513

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