Origin of structure in supersymmetric quantum cosmology

Can the imprint of an early supersymmetric quantum cosmological epoch be present in our cosmological observations? Addressing this question is the precise purpose of this paper. Perturbations about a supersymmetric Friedmann-Robertson-Walker FRW model are introduced, in particular by expanding scalar and fermionic fields in adequate harmonics in S-3. The homogeneous and isotropic degrees of freedom are treated exactly, while the others are considered up to quartic order. A set of quantum states is then obtained by employing the supersymmetry and Lorentz constraint equations of this model. Finally, a particular quantum state which has properties typical of the conventional no-boundary (Hartle-Hawking) solution is identified. Its relevance towards a scale-free spectrum of density perturbations is then discussed.