Elements of Loop Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

The expansion of our universe, when followed backward in time, implies that it emerged from a phase of huge density, the big bang. These stages are so extreme that classical general relativity combined with matter theories is not able to describe them properly, and one has to refer to quantum gravity. A complete quantization of gravity has not yet been developed, but there are many results about key properties to be expected. When applied to cosmology, a consistent picture of the early universe arises which is free of the classical pathologies and has implications for the generation of structure which are potentially observable in the near future.

30 pages, 4 figures, Chapter contributed to "100 Years of Relativity - Space-time Structure: Einstein and Beyond", Ed. A. Ashtekar (World Scientific)

References in corpus (43)

• First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Determination of Cosmological Parameters
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• Discreteness of area and volume in quantum gravity
• Quantum Theory of Gravity I: Area Operators
• Real Ashtekar Variables for Lorentzian Signature Space-times
• Quantum Spin Dynamics (QSD)
• Spin Networks and Quantum Gravity
• Inflationary spacetimes are not past-complete
• The Emergent Universe: inflationary cosmology with no singularity
• QSD V : Quantum Gravity as the Natural Regulator of Matter Quantum Field Theories
• The Emergent Universe: An Explicit Construction
• Isotropic Loop Quantum Cosmology
• The Inverse Scale Factor in Isotropic Quantum Geometry
• Representations of the Weyl Algebra in Quantum Geometry
• Homogeneous Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Quantum Symmetry Reduction for Diffeomorphism Invariant Theories of Connections
• The Area Operator in the Spherically Symmetric Sector of Loop Quantum Gravity
• Spherically Symmetric Quantum Geometry: States and Basic Operators
• Quantization Ambiguities in Isotropic Quantum Geometry
• Big Crunch Avoidance in k = 1 Semi-Classical Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Loop quantum gravity effects on inflation and the CMB
• A black hole mass threshold from non-singular quantum gravitational collapse
• Dynamical Initial Conditions in Quantum Cosmology
• The Semiclassical Limit of Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Oscillatory Universes in Loop Quantum Cosmology and Initial Conditions for Inflation
• Homogeneous Loop Quantum Cosmology: The Role of the Spin Connection
• Genericness of Big Bounce in isotropic loop quantum cosmology
• Loop Quantum Cosmology: Recent Progress
• Loop Quantum Gravity and the Cyclic Universe
• The Bianchi IX model in Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Inflationary Cosmology and Quantization Ambiguities in Semi-Classical Loop Quantum Gravity
• Quantum suppression of the generic chaotic behavior close to cosmological singularities
• Diffeomorphism covariant representations of the holonomy-flux star-algebra
• Qualitative Approach to Semi-Classical Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Initial Conditions for a Universe
• On the superselection theory of the Weyl algebra for diffeomorphism invariant quantum gauge theories
• Genericness of inflation in isotropic loop quantum cosmology
• Absence of pre-classical solutions in Bianchi I loop quantum cosmology
• On the Physical Hilbert Space of Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Consistency Conditions for Fundamentally Discrete Theories
• Inflationary Cosmology and Oscillating Universes in Loop Quantum Cosmology
• Spherically Symmetric Quantum Horizons
• Hubble operator in isotropic loop quantum cosmology

Cited by in corpus (25)

• Dark Energy and Dark Gravity
• Fundamental Structure of Loop Quantum Gravity
• Problem of Time in Quantum Gravity
• Anomaly freedom in perturbative loop quantum gravity
• Is loop quantization in cosmology unique?
• Lattice refining loop quantum cosmology, anisotropic models and stability
• Formation and Evolution of Structure in Loop Cosmology
• Hamiltonian cosmological perturbation theory with loop quantum gravity corrections
• Loop quantum cosmology of k=1 FRW: A tale of two bounces
• Effective equations for isotropic quantum cosmology including matter
• Quantum constraints, Dirac observables and evolution: group averaging versus Schroedinger picture in LQC
• Physical time and other conceptual issues of QG on the example of LQC
• Recurrence relations for spin foam vertices
• Effective constraints of loop quantum gravity
• Dirac's discrete hypersurface deformation algebras
• Classical Setting and Effective Dynamics for Spinfoam Cosmology
• The minimum length problem of loop quantum cosmology
• Recollapsing quantum cosmologies and the question of entropy
• Inverse volume corrections to emergent tachyonic inflation in loop quantum cosmology
• Statistical Thermodynamics of Polymer Quantum Systems
• Boundary conditions in quantum mechanics on the discretized half-line
• Bibliography of Publications related to Classical Self-dual variables and Loop Quantum Gravity
• Quantum of volume in de Sitter space
• Phenomenological implications of an alternative Hamiltonian constraint for quantum cosmology
• Quantum Dyanmics of Loop Quantum Gravity