QUANTUM ORIGIN OF THE EARLY INFLATIONARY UNIVERSE

We give a detailed presentation of a recently proposed mechanism of ge nerating the energy scale of inflation by loop effects in quantum cosm ology. We discuss the quantum origin of the early inflationary Univers e from the no-boundary and tunnelling quantum states and present a uni versal effective action algorithm for the distribution function of cha otic inflationary cosmologies in both of these states. The energy scal e of inflation is calculated by finding a sharp probability peak in th is distribution function for a tunnelling model driven by the inflaton field with large negative constant xi of non-minimal interaction. The sub-Planckian parameters of this peak (the mean value of the correspo nding Hubble constant H similar or equal to 10(-5)mp, its quantum widt h Delta H/H similar or equal to 10(-5) and the number of inflationary e-foldings N greater than or equal to 60) are found to be in good corr espondence with the observational status of inflation theory, provided the coupling constants of the theory are constrained by a condition w hich is likely to be enforced by the (quasi) supersymmetric nature of the sub-Planckian particle physics model. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevi er Science B.V.