QUANTUM WORMHOLES IN KANTOWSKI-SACHS SPACETIME

Asymptotically R3 X S1 and R2 X S2 quantum wormholes are studied in a Kantowski-Sachs spacetime minimally coupled to a massless scalar field. For this minisuperspace model, two different families of wave functions are found which satisfy the extension to this case of the Hawking boundary conditions for wormholes. They both are linear combinations of another set of solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation which show evidence of a wormhole throat with scalar flux through it. One of these families is given in terms of harmonic oscillator wave functions and depends, as well, on an additional continuous parameter. There is only one wave function which is asymptotically R2 X S2 and corresponds to pure gravity.