Origin of Special Initial Conditions in the Universe

Identify the physical origin of the special initial conditions of our universe, including the mechanism by which the initial asymmetries required for the observed arrow of time arose, in a manner consistent with current cosmological observations.

Background

A central thesis of the paper is that the apparent arrow of time is attributable to special initial conditions rather than fundamental time-irreversibility. The author argues that while inflation addresses some issues, it introduces others and does not resolve how the necessary asymmetries arose.

The question thus focuses on the cosmological mechanisms capable of producing special, asymmetric initial conditions that subsequently lead to the observed macroscopic irreversibility.