A large number of models have been analyzed in loop quantum cosmology, using mainly minisuperspace constructions and perturbations. At the same time, general physics principles from effective field theory and covariance have often been ignored. A consistent introduction of these ingredients requires substantial modifications of existing scenarios. As a consequence, none of the broader claims made mainly by the Ashtekar school --- such as the genericness of bounces with astonishingly semiclassical dynamics, robustness with respect to quantization ambiguities, the realization of covariance, and the relevance of certain technical results for potential observations --- hold up to scrutiny. Several useful lessons for a sustainable version of quantum cosmology can be drawn from this outcome.
Loop quantum cosmology is a conflicted field in which exuberant claims of observability coexist with serious objections against the conceptual and physical viability of its current formulations. This contribution presents a non-technical case study of the recent claim that loop quantum cosmology might alleviate anomalies in observations of the cosmic microwave background.
Using general features of recent quantizations of the Hamiltonian constraint in loop quantum gravity and loop quantum cosmology, a dynamical interpretation of the constraint equation as evolution equation is presented. This involves a transformation from the connection to a dreibein representation and the selection of an internal time variable. Due to the discrete nature of geometrical quantities in loop quantum gravity also time turns out to be discrete leading to a difference rather than differential evolution equation. Furthermore, evolving observables are discussed in this framework which …
We construct a noncommutative extension of the Loop Quantum Cosmology effective scheme for the open FLRW model with a free scalar field via a theta deformation. Firstly, a deformation is implemented in the configuration sector, among the holonomy variable and the matter degree of freedom. We show that this type of noncommutativity retain, to some degree, key features of the Loop Quantum Cosmology paradigm for a free field. Secondly, a deformation is implemented in the momentum sector, among the momentum associated to the holonomy variable and the momentum associated to the matter field. We sho…
In this paper, we discuss the properties of one-parameter sequences that arise when solving the Hamiltonian constraint in Bianchi I loop quantum cosmology using a separation of variables method. In particular, we focus on finding an expression for the sequence for all real values of the parameter, and discuss the pre-classicality of this function. We find that the behavior of these preclassical sequences imply time asymmetry on either side of the classical singularity in Bianchi I cosmology.
We present a construction of the Hubble operator for the spatially flat isotropic loop quantum cosmology. This operator is a Dirac observable on a subspace of the space of physical solutions. This subspace gets selected dynamically, requiring that its action be invariant on the physical solution space. As a simple illustrative application of the expectation value of the operator, we do find a generic phase of (super)inflation, a feature shown by Bojowald from the analysis of effective Friedmann equation of loop quantum cosmology.
Recently, Chamseddine and Mukhanov introduced a higher-derivative scalar-tensor theory which leads to a modified Friedmann equation allowing for bouncing solutions. As we note in the present work, this Friedmann equation turns out to reproduce exactly the loop quantum cosmology effective dynamics for a flat isotropic and homogeneous space-time. We generalize this result to obtain a class of scalar-tensor theories, belonging to the family of mimetic gravity, which all reproduce the loop quantum cosmology effective dynamics for flat, closed and open isotropic and homogeneous space-times.
Loop quantum cosmology is a symmetry reduced quantization of cosmological spacetimes based on loop quantum gravity. While it has been successful in resolution of various cosmological singularities and connecting Planck scale physics to phenomenology, its connection with loop quantum gravity has remained elusive. It is therefore important to integrate more and more features of the full theory into this framework and understand the reliability of physical predictions. In particular, if one wishes to connect the effective Hamiltonian in loop quantum cosmology to an expectation value of the scalar…
Loop quantum cosmology is considered in inflation era. A slow roll scalar field solution with power law potential is presented in the neighborhood of transition time, i.e. when the universe enters inflation phase from super-inflation. The compatibility of the model with Planck 2013 data is discussed. The domain of validity of second and the generalized second laws of thermodynamics for this solution and some other examples is studied.
We present a new cosmological model derived from Loop Quantum Gravity. The formulation is based on a projection of the kinematical Hilbert space of the full theory down to a subspace representing the proper arena for an inhomogeneous Bianchi I model. This procedure gives a direct link between the full theory and its cosmological sector. The emerging quantum cosmological model represents a simplified arena on which the complete canonical quantization program can be tested. The achievements of this analysis could also shed light on Loop Quantum Cosmology and its relation with the full theory.
Loop quantum cosmological methods are extended to homogeneous models in diagonalized form. It is shown that the diagonalization leads to a simplification of the volume operator such that its spectrum can be determined explicitly. This allows the calculation of composite operators, most importantly the Hamiltonian constraint. As an application the dynamics of the Bianchi I model is studied and it is shown that its loop quantization is free of singularities.
The appearance of the big bounce (BB) in the evolution of the universe is analyzed in the setting of loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Making use of an idea of a minimum length turns classical Big Bang into BB. We argue why the spectrum of the kinematical area operator of loop quantum gravity cannot be used for the determination of this length. We find that the fundamental length, at the present stage of development of LQC, is a free parameter of this model.
We develop a Gauss-Bonnet extension of Loop Quantum Cosmology, by introducing holonomy corrections in modified $F(\mathcal{G})$ theories of gravity. Within the context of our formalism, we provide a perturbative expansion in the critical density, a parameter characteristic of Loop Quantum Gravity theories, and we result in having leading order corrections to the classical $F(\mathcal{G})$ theories of gravity. After extensively discussing the formalism, we present a reconstruction method that makes possible to find the Loop Quantum Cosmology corrected $F(\mathcal{G})$ theory that can realize va…
We show that the effective dynamics of the recently proposed isotropic condensate state of group field theory with Laplacian kinetic operator can be equivalent to that of homogeneous and isotropic loop quantum cosmology in the improved dynamics quantization scheme, where the area of elementary holonomy plaquettes is constant. This constitutes a somewhat surprising example of a cosmological model of quantum gravity where the operations of minisuperspace symmetry reduction and quantization can actually commute.
This is an introduction to loop quantum cosmology (LQC) reviewing mini- and midisuperspace models as well as homogeneous and inhomogeneous effective dynamics.
In the framework of loop quantum cosmology anomaly free quantizations of the Hamiltonian constraint for Bianchi class A, locally rotationally symmetric and isotropic models are given. Basic ideas of the construction in (non-symmetric) loop quantum gravity can be used, but there are also further inputs because the special structure of symmetric models has to be respected by operators. In particular, the basic building blocks of the homogeneous models are point holonomies rather than holonomies necessitating a new regularization procedure. In this respect, our construction is applicable also for…
Isotropic models in loop quantum cosmology allow explicit calculations, thanks largely to a completely known volume spectrum, which is exploited in order to write down the evolution equation in a discrete internal time. Because of genuinely quantum geometrical effects the classical singularity is absent in those models in the sense that the evolution does not break down there, contrary to the classical situation where space-time is inextendible. This effect is generic and does not depend on matter violating energy conditions, but it does depend on the factor ordering of the Hamiltonian constra…
Volume operators measuring the total volume of space in a loop quantum theory of cosmological models are constructed. In the case of models with rotational symmetry an investigation of the Higgs constraint imposed on the reduced connection variables is necessary, a complete solution of which is given for isotropic models; in this case the volume spectrum can be calculated explicitly. It is observed that the stronger the symmetry conditions are the smaller is the volume spectrum, which can be interpreted as level splitting due to broken symmetries. Some implications for quantum cosmology are pr…
We consider a flat cosmological model with a free massless scalar field and the cosmological constant $Λ$ in the framework of loop quantum cosmology. The scalar field plays the role of an intrinsic time. We apply the reduced phase space approach. The dynamics of the model is solved analytically. We identify elementary observables and their algebra. The compound physical observables like the volume and the energy density of matter field are analysed. Both compound observables are bounded and oscillate in the $Λ<0$ case. The energy density is bounded and oscillates in the $Λ>0$ case. However, th…
The two-loop (order $α'$) $β$-function equations, which are equivalent to the equations of motion of $α'$-corrected string effective action, are considered for anisotropic homogeneous space-times. These equations are solved for all Bianchi-type models in two schemes of effective action, namely $R^2$ and Gauss-Bonnet schemes with zero cosmological constant and then the metric, dilaton and $B$-field are found at $α'$ perturbative corrections.
We give a prescription to define in Loop Quantum Gravity the electric field operator related to the scale factor of an homogeneous and isotropic cosmological space-time. This procedure allows to link the fundamental theory with its cosmological implementation. In view of the conjugate relation existing between holonomies and fluxes, the edge length and the area of surfaces in the fiducial metric satisfy a duality condition. As a consequence, the area operator has a discrete spectrum also in Loop Quantum Cosmology. This feature makes the super-Hamiltonian regularization an open issue of the who…
A stability analysis is made in the context of the previously discovered non-singular cosmological solution from 1-loop corrected superstring effective action. We found that this solution has an instability in graviton mode, which is shown to have a close relation to the avoidance of initial singularity via energy condition. We also estimate the condition for the breakdown of the background solution due to the overdominance of the graviton.
In the context of the Loop Quantum Cosmology we have analysed the holonomy correction to the classical evolution of the simplified Bianchi I model in the presence of vector fields. For the Universe dominated by a massive vector field or by a combination of a scalar field and a vector field a smooth transition between Kasner-like and Kasner-unlike solutions for a Bianchi I model has been demonstrated. In this case a lack of initial curvature singularity and a finite maximal energy density appear already at the level of General Relativity, which simulates a classical Big Bounce.
We construct physical semi-classical states annihilated by the Hamiltonian constraint operator in the framework of loop quantum cosmology as a method of systematically determining the regime and validity of the semi-classical limit of the quantum theory. Our results indicate that the evolution can be effectively described using continuous classical equations of motion with non-perturbative corrections down to near the Planck scale below which the universe can only be described by the discrete quantum constraint. These results, for the first time, provide concrete evidence of the emergence of c…
We re-examine the process of loop quantization for flat isotropic models in cosmology. In particular, we contrast different inequivalent `loop quantizations' of these simple models through their respective successes and limitations and assess whether they can lead to any viable physical description. We propose three simple requirements which any such admissible quantum model should satisfy: i) independence from any auxiliary structure, such as a fiducial interval/cell introduced to define the phase space when integrating over non-compact manifolds; ii) existence of a well defined classical lim…
We study the geometry of Euclidean instantons in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) such as those relevant for the no-boundary proposal. Confining ourselves to the simplest case of a cosmological constant in minisuperspace cosmologies, we analyze solutions of the semiclassical (Euclidean) path integral in LQC. We find that the geometry of LQC instantons have the peculiar feature of an infinite tail which distinguishes them from Einstein gravity. Moreover, due to quantum-geometry corrections, the small-a behaviour of these instantons seem to naturally favor a closing-off of the geometry in a regular …
To derive loop quantum cosmology from loop quantum gravity, I apply the model given in \cite{lin1} to a system with coupled gravitational and matter fields. The matter sector consists of a scalar field $phi$ serving as a cosmological clock, and other fields ${psi}$ providing physical spatial coordinates and frames. The physical Hilbert space of the model is constructed from the kinematical Hilbert space of loop quantum gravity, and the local observables in the physical Hilbert space are constructed using the matter coordinates and frames. A specific coherent physical state is then chosen, whos…
This Chapter provides an up to date, pedagogical review of some of the most relevant advances in loop quantum cosmology. We review the quantization of homogeneous cosmological models, their singularity resolution and the formulation of effective equations that incorporate the main quantum corrections to the dynamics. We also summarize the theory of quantized metric perturbations propagating in those quantum backgrounds. Finally, we describe how this framework can be applied to obtain a self-consistent extension of the inflationary scenario to incorporate quantum aspects of gravity, and to expl…
Proposing smooth initial conditions is one of the most important tasks in quantum cosmology. On the other hand, the low-energy effective action, appearing in the semiclassical path integral, can get nontrivial quantum corrections near classical singularities due to specific quantum gravity proposals. In this article, we combine the well-known no-boundary proposal for the wavefunction of the universe with quantum modifications coming from loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Remarkably, we find that the restriction of a `slow-roll' type potential in the original Hartle-Hawking proposal is considerably…
We review some recent progress in the extraction of inflationary observables in loop quantum cosmology. Inverse-volume quantum corrections induce a growth of power in the large-scale cosmological spectra and are constrained by observations.
Loop quantum cosmology of the closed isotropic model is studied with a special emphasis on a comparison with traditional results obtained in the Wheeler-DeWitt approach. This includes the relation of the dynamical initial conditions with boundary conditions such as the no-boundary or the tunneling proposal and a discussion of inflation from quantum cosmology.
The era of precision cosmology has allowed us to accurately determine many important cosmological parameters, in particular via the CMB. Confronting Loop Quantum Cosmology with these observations provides us with a powerful test of the theory. For this to be possible we need a detailed understanding of the generation and evolution of inhomogeneous perturbations during the early, Quantum Gravity, phase of the universe. Here we describe how Loop Quantum Cosmology provides a completion of the inflationary paradigm, that is consistent with the observed power spectra of the CMB.
Loop Quantum Cosmology is an appealing quantum completion of classical cosmology, which brings along various theoretical features which in many cases offer remedy or modify various classical cosmology aspects. In this paper we address the gravitational baryogenesis mechanism in the context of Loop Quantum Cosmology. As we demonstrate, when Loop Quantum Cosmology effects are taken into account in the resulting Friedmann equations for a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker Universe, then even for a radiation dominated Universe, the predicted baryon-to-entropy ratio from the gravitational baryogenesis…
Loop quantum gravity is a mature theory. To proceed to explicit calculations in cosmology, it is necessary to make assumptions and simplifications based on the symmetries of the cosmological setting. Symmetry reduction is especially critical when dealing with cosmological perturbations. The present article reviews several approaches to the problem of building a consistent formalism that describes the dynamics of perturbations on a quantum spacetime and tries to address their respective strengths and weaknesses. We also review the main open issues in loop quantum cosmology.
We investigate the background dynamics when dark energy is coupled to dark matter in the universe described by Einstein cosmology and Loop Quantum Cosmology. We introduce a new general form of dark sector coupling, which presents us a more complicated dynamical phase space. Differences in the phase space in obtaining the accelerated scaling attractor in Einstein cosmology and Loop Quantum Cosmology are disclosed.
The dynamical behaviors of interacting dark energy in loop quantum cosmology are discussed in this paper. Based on defining three dimensionless variables, we simplify the equations of the fixed points. The fixed points for interacting dark energy can be determined by the Friedmann equation coupled with the dynamical equations {in Einstein cosmology}. But in loop quantum cosmology, besides the Friedmann equation, the conversation equation also give a constrain on the fixed points. The difference of stability properties for the fixed points in loop quantum cosmology and the ones in Einstein cosm…
Quantum Reduced Loop Gravity is a promising framework for linking Loop Quantum Gravity and the effective semiclassical dynamics of Loop Quantum Cosmology. We review its basic achievements and its main perspectives, outlining how it provides a quantum description of the Universe in terms of a cuboidal graph which constitutes the proper framework for applying loop techniques in a cosmological setting.
After introducing the basic ingredients of Loop Quantum Cosmology, I will briefly discuss some of its phenomenological aspects. Those can give some useful insight about the full Loop Quantum Gravity theory and provide an answer to some long-standing questions in early universe cosmology.
In this paper, we study the dynamics of k-essence in loop quantum cosmology (LQC). The study indicates that the loop quantum gravity (LQG) effect plays a key role only in the early epoch of the universe and is diluted at the later stage. The fixed points in LQC are basically consistent with that in standard Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology. For most of the attractor solutions, the stability conditions in LQC are in agreement with that for the standard FRW universe. But for some special fixed point, more tighter constraints are imposed thanks to the LQG effect.
In this paper, we study the possibility of model building of cyclic universe with Quintom matter in the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology. After a general demonstration, we provide two examples, one with double-fluid and another double-scalar field, to show how such a scenario is obtained. Analytical and numerical calculations are both presented in the paper.
A consistent combination of quantum geometry effects rules out a large class of models of loop quantum cosmology and their critical densities as they have been used in the recent literature. In particular, the critical density at which an isotropic universe filled with a free, massless scalar field would bounce must be well below the Planck density. In the presence of anisotropy, no model of the Schwarzschild black hole interior analyzed so far is consistent.
In loop quantum gravity, modifications to the geometrical density cause a self-interacting scalar field to accelerate away from a minimum of its potential. In principle, this mechanism can generate the conditions that subsequently lead to slow-roll inflation. The consequences for this mechanism of various quantization ambiguities arising within loop quantum cosmology are considered. For the case of a quadratic potential, it is found that some quantization procedures are more likely to generate a phase of slow--roll inflation. In general, however, loop quantum cosmology is robust to ambiguities…
The paradigmatic models often used to highlight cosmological features of loop quantum gravity and group field theory are shown to be equivalent, in the sense that they are different realizations of the same model given by harmonic cosmology. The loop version of harmonic cosmology is a canonical realization, while the group-field version is a bosonic realization. The existence of a large number of bosonic realizations suggests generalizations of models in group field cosmology.
Loop quantum cosmology predicts that quantum gravity effects resolve the big-bang singularity and replace it by a cosmic bounce. Furthermore, loop quantum cosmology can also modify the form of primordial cosmological perturbations, for example by reducing power at large scales in inflationary models or by suppressing the tensor-to-scalar ratio in the matter bounce scenario; these two effects are potential observational tests for loop quantum cosmology. In this article, I review these predictions and others, and also briefly discuss three open problems in loop quantum cosmology: its relation to…
We explore the extension of quantum cosmology outside the homogeneous approximation, using the formalism of loop quantum gravity. We introduce a model where some of the inhomogeneous degrees of freedom are present, providing a tool for describing general fluctuations of quantum geometry near the initial singularity. We show that the dynamical structure of the model reduces to that of loop quantum cosmology in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. This result corroborates the assumptions that ground loop cosmology, sheds light on the physical and mathematical relation between loop cosmology and f…
Gauge invariance of scalar perturbations is studied together with the associated equations of motion. Extending methods developed in the framework of hamiltonian General Relativity, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is investigated into the details in Loop Quantum Cosmology. The gauge-invariant observables are built and their equations of motions are reviewed both in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian approaches. This method is applied to scalar perturbations with either holonomy or inverse-volume corrections.
In this paper we construct the Hamiltonian constraint operator of loop quantum cosmology using holonomies defined for arbitrary irreducible SU(2) representations labeled by spin J. We show that modifications to the effective semi-classical equations of motion arise both in the gravitational part of the constraint as well as matter terms. The modifications are important for phenomenological investigations of the cosmological imprints of loop quantum cosmology. We discuss the implications for the early universe evolution.
In this letter, we demonstrate that Loop Quantum Cosmology equations, with a near vanishing late time cosmological constant, can be induced on a brane in a Randall-Sundrum II scenario, corresponding to the holographic dual of a strongly coupled string regime in the bulk. Such results can establish a possible connection between Loop Quantum Gravity and string theory.
The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the current state of the art in loop quantum cosmology for three sets of audiences: young researchers interested in entering this area; the quantum gravity community in general; and, cosmologists who wish to apply loop quantum cosmology to probe modifications in the standard paradigm of the early universe. An effort has been made to streamline the material so that, as described at the end of section I, each of these communities can read only the sections they are most interested in, without a loss of continuity.
Here we shall find the green's function of the difference equation of loop quantum cosmology. To illustrate how to use it, we shall obtain an iterative solution for closed model and evaluate its corresponding Bohmian trajectory.
As a first step to generalize the structure of loop quantum cosmology to the theories with the spacetime dimension other than four, the isotropic model of loop quantum cosmology in 2+1 dimension is studied in this paper. We find that the classical big bang singularity is again replaced by a quantum bounce in the model. The similarities and differences between the 2+1 dimensional model and the 3+1 dimensional one are also discussed.
We study oscillatory universes within the context of Loop Quantum Cosmology. We make a comparative study of flat and positively curved universes sourced by scalar fields with either positive or negative potentials. We investigate how oscillating universes can set the initial conditions for successful slow-roll inflation, while ensuring that the semi-classical bounds are satisfied. We observe rich oscillatory dynamics with negative potentials, although it is difficult to respect the semi-classical bounds in models of this type.
In approaches to quantum gravity, where smooth spacetime is an emergent approximation of a discrete Planckian fundamental structure, any standard effective field theoretical description will miss part of the degrees of freedom and thus break unitarity. Here we show that these expectations can be made precise in loop quantum cosmology. Concretely, even when loop quantum cosmology is unitary at the fundamental level, when microscopic degrees of freedom, irrelevant to low-energy cosmological observers, are suitably ignored, pure states in the effective description evolve into mixed states due to …
An action functional for the loop quantum cosmology difference equation is presented. It is shown that by guessing the general form of the solution and optimizing the action functional with respect to the parameters in the guessed solution one can obtain approximate solutions which are reasonably good.
This brief article sums up results obtained in arXiv:0911.2653, which develops a constrained SU(2) lattice gauge theory in the "dipole" approximation. This is a further step toward the issue of a (inhomogeneous) loop quantum cosmology and its merging into loop quantum gravity.
We study the problem of gauge-invariance and gauge-dependence in one-loop quantum cosmology. We formulate some requirements which should be satisfied by boundary conditions in order to give gauge-independent path integral. The case of QED is studied in some detail. We outline difficulties in gauge-invariant quantization of gravitational field in a bounded region.
For many years, the most active area of quantum cosmology has been the issue of choosing boundary conditions for the wave function of a universe. Recently, loop quantum cosmology, which is obtained from loop quantum gravity, has shed new light on this question. In this case, boundary conditions are not chosen by hand with some particular physical intuition in mind, but they are part of the dynamical law. It is then natural to ask if there are any relations between these boundary conditions and the ones provided before. After discussing the technical foundation of loop quantum cosmology which l…
In this paper we present a model of Riemannian loop quantum cosmology with a self-adjoint quantum scalar constraint. The physical Hilbert space is constructed using refined algebraic quantization. When matter is included in the form of a cosmological constant, the model is exactly solvable and we show explicitly that the physical Hilbert space is separable consisting of a single physical state. We extend the model to the Lorentzian sector and discuss important implications for standard loop quantum cosmology.
A temporally discrete Schroedinger time evolution equation is proposed for isotropic quantum cosmology coupled to a massless scalar source. The approach employs dynamically determined intrinsic time and produces the correct semiclassical limit.
Loop Quantum Gravity is a background independent, nonperturbative approach to the quantization of General Relativity. Its application to models of interest in cosmology and astrophysics, known as Loop Quantum Cosmology, has led to new and exciting views of the gravitational phenomena that took place in the early universe, or that occur in spacetime regions where Einstein's theory predicts singularities. We provide a brief introduction to the bases of Loop Quantum Cosmology and summarize the most important results obtained in homogeneous scenarios. These results include a mechanism to avoid the…
