We show that the quantum universe emerging from a nonperturbative, Lorentzian sum over geometries can be described with a high accuracy by a four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime. By a scaling analysis involving Newton's constant, we establish that the linear size of the quantum universes under study is in between 17 and 28 Planck lengths. Somewhat surprisingly, the measured quantum fluctuations around the de Sitter universe in this regime are to good approximation still describable semiclassically. The numerical evidence presented comes from a regularization of quantum gravity in terms of causal dynamical triangulations.

The quantum universe emerging from a nonperturbative Lorentzian sum can be accurately described by a four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime, with a linear size between 17 and 28 Planck lengths.

Paper

Planckian birth of a quantum de sitter universe.

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