The question of how our universe began is one of the most difficult in physics. We know a lot about the universe from a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang, but what happened before that is still unclear.
One leading idea in modern cosmology is that the early universe went through a very fast expansion called Inflation (cosmology). Inflation explains why the universe looks so smooth on large scales and how tiny fluctuations grew into galaxies.
But there is a big problem: we still do not know how inflation itself started.
Recently, physicists Grigory Lavrelashvili and Jean-Luc Lehners studied a new kind of spacetime structure called Euclidean wineglass wormholes. Their work suggests a surprising idea: the beginning of inflation may be connected to wormholes and “no-boundary” universes, which may actually be different versions of the same process.
Let’s understand this step by step.
1. The Big Mystery: How Did Inflation Start?
Inflation is a theory that says the universe expanded extremely fast in its earliest moments.
But for inflation to begin, a very special situation is needed:
A large region of space must already be very smooth
A field called a “scalar field” must be in a high-energy state
The energy must be very stable and not moving much
These conditions are very unlikely if we imagine random initial conditions.
Even worse, if we trace the universe backward using normal physics, we often reach a point called a singularity, where physics breaks down completely. This means classical physics cannot fully explain the beginning.
So physicists try another approach: maybe the universe began through quantum processes, where randomness and probability play a role.
2. Two Main Quantum Ideas for the Beginning of the Universe
Scientists have two major ideas about how universes might begin:
(A) Universe formed from an existing spacetime
In this idea, our universe forms from a pre-existing space through a quantum process called tunneling.
A well-known example is the Coleman–DeLuccia instanton.
In simple words, a small region “jumps” into a new state and becomes a universe.
(B) Universe formed from “nothing”
In this idea, the universe does not come from a previous space at all.
Instead, it is described by the Hartle–Hawking no-boundary proposal.
This suggests that time and space are smooth and closed at the beginning—like the surface of a sphere with no edge.
At first, these two ideas look completely different. One needs a previous universe. The other does not.
But Lavrelashvili and Lehners show something surprising: these two ideas may actually be connected.
3. What Is a “Wineglass Wormhole”?
A wormhole is a hypothetical tunnel in spacetime that connects two regions.
In this research, the scientists study a special type called a Euclidean wormhole, which exists in a mathematical version of spacetime used in quantum gravity.
They call their solution a wineglass wormhole because of its shape:
A wide bowl-like region
A narrow neck or “stem”
Another region connected on the other side
It looks like a wineglass turned upside down.
4. The Key Feature: A “Peak” in Size
Inside this wormhole, something special happens.
The size of space (called the “scale factor”) does not just shrink smoothly. Instead, it reaches a maximum point at the middle.
This is very important because:
Normally, wormholes pinch at a minimum
Here, the middle is actually a peak
When physicists convert this mathematical model into real time (a process called analytic continuation), this peak allows the universe to begin expanding.
In simple words:
the wormhole can “turn into” an expanding universe.
5. What Keeps the Wormhole Stable?
These wormholes are not empty. They need special ingredients:
A field called an axion field (a hypothetical particle field)
Or a magnetic-type field
A scalar field with a special energy shape
Together, these fields hold the structure of the wormhole and allow it to exist in a stable form in the equations.
6. A Universe Born from the Wormhole
When the wormhole “opens” into real time, something interesting happens:
One side of the wormhole becomes a new expanding universe
The scalar field inside is placed at a high-energy position
This high energy can trigger inflation
So the wormhole becomes a bridge from an old spacetime to a new inflating universe.
This gives a natural way for inflation to begin, without needing very special starting conditions.
7. The Strange Role of “Charge”
These wormholes depend on a quantity called charge, which comes from the axion or magnetic field.
What happens when we change this charge?
Large charge:
Wormhole is wide and connected
Both sides are strongly linked
Small charge:
The wormhole neck becomes thinner
The two sides start separating
Zero charge:
The wormhole completely breaks apart
At this limit, something very surprising happens:
One part becomes the original background space
The other part becomes a “no-boundary” universe
This means a wormhole and a no-boundary universe are not separate things—they are connected through this transition.
8. A Deep Idea: One Family of Universes
The most important idea from this research is:
👉 Wormholes and no-boundary universes may be part of the same family.
Instead of two different ways of creating universes, they may just be two limits of one system.
Wormhole = connected case
No-boundary universe = disconnected case
As the charge decreases, the system smoothly moves from one to the other.
This is called a topology change, meaning the shape of spacetime itself changes.
9. Why This Could Explain Our Universe
This framework might help explain:
Why inflation started
Why the early universe was so smooth
Why certain conditions were “selected” naturally
It also suggests something interesting:
Universes that allow longer inflation may be more likely to form in this process.
This could help explain why our universe has the properties it does.
10. Remaining Problems and Questions
Even though the idea is powerful, many questions remain:
1. Is charge fundamental or flexible?
We do not know if charge is fixed by nature or just part of the solution.
2. Which solutions are real?
Quantum gravity may allow many possible geometries, but not all may actually contribute.
3. Do more complicated solutions exist?
There may be other “complex” universes that change the probabilities.
4. Could wormholes affect real physics?
If wormholes exist, they could connect distant parts of space in unusual ways.
5. What is the correct way to calculate probabilities?
Even defining probability in quantum cosmology is still not fully solved.
11. Final Thoughts
This research suggests a deep and surprising picture:
The beginning of the universe may not come from a single event or a simple starting point. Instead, it may come from a wide range of quantum possibilities involving spacetime itself.
In this view:
Wormholes can create new universes
No-boundary universes can appear in the same framework
The shape of spacetime can change smoothly
Inflation may naturally emerge from quantum geometry
Most importantly, what we think of as “the beginning” may actually be part of a much larger and more complex quantum structure.
The universe may not have started in one simple way—it may have started in many connected ways that are still being discovered.
Reference: George Lavrelashvili, Jean-Luc Lehners, "Birth of Inflationary Universes via Wineglass Wormholes and their No-Boundary Relatives", Arxiv, 2026. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.10548


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