Loop quantum cosmology: a status report (original) (raw)

Observational Constraints on Loop Quantum Cosmology

Physical Review Letters, 2011

In the inflationary scenario of loop quantum cosmology (LQC) in the presence of inverse-volume corrections, we give analytic formulas for the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations convenient to confront with observations. Since inverse-volume corrections can provide strong contributions to the running spectral indices, inclusion of terms higher than the second-order runnings in the power spectra is crucially important. Using the recent data of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and other cosmological experiments, we place bounds on the quantum corrections for a quadratic inflaton potential. PACS numbers: 98.80.Cq, 04.60.Pp

An introduction to loop quantum gravity through cosmology

Arxiv preprint gr-qc/0702030, 2007

This introductory review is addressed to beginning researchers. Some of the distinguishing features of loop quantum gravity are illustrated through loop quantum cosmology of FRW models. In particular, these examples illustrate: i) how 'emergent time' can arise; ii) how the technical issue of solving the Hamiltonian constraint and constructing the physical sector of the theory can be handled; iii) how questions central to the Planck scale physics can be answered using such a framework; and, iv) how quantum geometry effects can dramatically change physics near singularities and yet naturally turn themselves off and reproduce classical general relativity when space-time curvature is significantly weaker than the Planck scale.

Loop Quantum Gravity and the Planck Regime of Cosmology

General Relativity, Cosmology and Astrophysics, 2014

The very early universe provides the best arena we currently have to test quantum gravity theories. The success of the inflationary paradigm in accounting for the observed inhomogeneities in the cosmic microwave background already illustrates this point to a certain extent because the paradigm is based on quantum field theory on the curved cosmological space-times. However, this analysis excludes the Planck era because the background space-time satisfies Einstein's equations all the way back to the big bang singularity. Using techniques from loop quantum gravity, the paradigm has now been extended to a self-consistent theory from the Planck regime to the onset of inflation, covering some 11 orders of magnitude in curvature. In addition, for a narrow window of initial conditions, there are departures from the standard paradigm, with novel effects, such as a modification of the consistency relation involving the scalar and tensor power spectra and a new source for non-Gaussianities. Thus, the genesis of the large scale structure of the universe can be traced back to quantum gravity fluctuations in the Planck regime. This report provides a bird's eye view of these developments for the general relativity community.

Loop quantum cosmology: from pre-inflationary dynamics to observations

Classical and Quantum Gravity, 2015

The Planck collaboration has provided us rich information about the early universe, and a host of new observational missions will soon shed further light on the 'anomalies' that appear to exist on the largest angular scales. From a quantum gravity perspective, it is natural to inquire if one can trace back the origin of such puzzling features to Planck scale physics. Loop quantum cosmology provides a promising avenue to explore this issue because of its natural resolution of the big bang singularity. Thanks to advances over the last decade, the theory has matured sufficiently to allow concrete calculations of the phenomenological consequences of its pre-inflationary dynamics. In this article we summarize the current status of the ensuing two-way dialog between quantum gravity and observations.

An Introduction to Loop Quantum Gravity with Application to Cosmology

2014

The development of a quantum theory of gravity has been ongoing in the theoretical physics community for about 80 years, yet it remains unsolved. In this dissertation, we review the loop quantum gravity approach and its application to cosmology, better known as loop quantum cosmology. In particular, we present the background formalism of the full theory together with its main result, namely the discreteness of space on the Planck scale. For its application to cosmology, we focus on the homogeneous isotropic universe with free massless scalar field. We present the kinematical structure and the features it shares with the full theory. Also, we review the way in which classical Big Bang singularity is avoided in this model. Specifically, the spectrum of the operator corresponding to the classical inverse scale factor is bounded from above, the quantum evolution is governed by a difference rather than a differential equation and the Big Bang is replaced by a Big Bounce.

Detecting quantum gravitational effects of loop quantum cosmology in the early universe?

We derive the primordial power spectra and spectral indexes of the density fluctuations and gravitational waves in the framework of loop quantum cosmology (LQC) with holonomy and inverse-volume corrections, by using the uniform asymptotic approximation method to its third-order, at which the upper error bounds are ≲0.15%, and accurate enough for the current and forthcoming cosmological observations. Then, using the Planck, BAO and SN data we obtain the tightest constraints on quantum gravitational effects from LQC corrections, and find that such effects could be well within the detection of the current and forthcoming cosmological observations

Bouncing loop quantum cosmology fromF(T)gravity

Physical Review D, 2013

The big bang singularity could be understood as a breakdown of Einstein's general relativity at very high energies. By adopting this viewpoint, other theories that implement Einstein cosmology at high energies might solve the problem of the primeval singularity. One of them is loop quantum cosmology (LQC) with a small cosmological constant that models a universe moving along an ellipse, which prevents singularities like the big bang or the big rip, in the phase space ðH; Þ, where H is the Hubble parameter and the energy density of the universe. Using LQC one considers a model universe filled by radiation and matter where, due to the cosmological constant, there are a de Sitter and an anti-de Sitter solution. This means that one obtains a bouncing nonsingular universe which is in the contracting phase at early times. After leaving this phase, i.e., after bouncing, it passes trough a radiation-and matter-dominated phase and finally at late times it expands in an accelerated way (current cosmic acceleration). This model does not suffer from the horizon and flatness problems as in big bang cosmology, where a period of inflation that increases the size of our universe in more than 60 e-folds is needed in order to solve both problems. The model has two mechanisms to avoid these problems: the evolution of the universe through a contracting phase and a period of super inflation (_ H > 0).