
We explain in detail the quantum-to-classical transition for the cosmological perturbations using only the standard rules of quantum mechanics: the Schrodinger equation and Born's rule applied to a subsystem. We show that the conditioned, i.e. intrinsic, pure state of the perturbations, is driven by the interactions with a generic environment, to become increasingly localized in field space as a mode exists the horizon during inflation. With a favourable coupling to the environment, the conditioned state of the perturbations becomes highly localized in field space due to the expansion of spacetime by a factor of roughly exp(-c N), where N~50 and c is a model dependent number of order 1. Effectively the state rapidly becomes specified completely by a point in phase space and an effective, classical, stochastic process emerges described by a classical Langevin equation. The statistics of the stochastic process is described by the solution of the master equation that describes the perturbations coupled to the environment.
21 pages, minor corrections
High Energy Physics - Theory, Quantum Physics, Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO), Physics, QC1-999, FOS: Physical sciences, General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc), General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), Quantum Physics (quant-ph), Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Theory, Quantum Physics, Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO), Physics, QC1-999, FOS: Physical sciences, General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc), General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), Quantum Physics (quant-ph), Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
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