Related papers: Big Crunch Avoidance in k = 1 Semi-Classical Loop …
The dynamics of the expectation value of the volume is one of the key ingredients behind the replacement of the Big Bang singularity by a bounce in Loop Quantum Cosmology. As such, it is of great importance that this quantity is…
Non-minimally coupling a scalar field to gravity introduces an additional curvature term into the action which can change the general behavior in strong curvature regimes, in particular close to classical singularities. While one can…
We study gravitational collapse in effective loop quantum gravity, focusing on non-marginally bound configurations in Lema\^itre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes. In the homogeneous limit we recover the effective dynamics of loop quantum cosmology…
It has been shown that if one solves self-consistently the semiclassical Einstein equations in the presence of a quantum scalar field, with a cutoff on the number of modes, spacetime become flatter when the cutoff increases. Here we extend…
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…
The quantum theory of a spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe with a massless scalar field as source is further investigated. The classical model is singular, and in the framework of the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner canonical…
In loop quantum cosmology (LQC) the big bang is replaced by a quantum bounce which is followed by a robust phase of super-inflation. Rather than growing unboundedly in the past, the Hubble parameter \emph{vanishes} at the bounce and attains…
In the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology, we study a cosmological bouncing model with two fields that reproduce the desired features of the primordial power spectra. The model combines the matter-bounce mechanism, that generates…
We investigate the convergence behaviors of the scalar and the vector perturbations for a big bounce phase in loop quantum cosmology. Two models are discussed: one is the universe filled by a massless scalar field; the other is a toy model…
The primordial Universe can be used as a laboratory to set constraints on quantum gravity. In the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology, we show that such a proposal for quantum gravity not only solves for the big bang singularity issue but…
Cosmology appears as the most promising way to test and constrain quantum gravity theories. Loop quantum gravity is among the most advanced attempts to perform a non-perturbative quantization of general relativity. Its cosmological…
We present a semiclassical study of the Mixmaster cosmology minimally coupled to a massive scalar field in the Hamiltonian formalism, with focus on three distinct scenarios: the classical cosmology coupled to the quantized scalar field, and…
In this work, we consider a semiclassical description of the spherically symmetric gravitational collapse with a massless scalar field. In particular, we employ an effective scenario provided by holonomy corrections from loop quantum…
When quantum gravity is used to discuss the big bang singularity, the most important, though rarely addressed, question is what role genuine quantum degrees of freedom play. Here, complete effective equations are derived for isotropic…
The "improved dynamics" of loop quantum cosmology is extended to include anisotropies of the Bianchi I model. As in the isotropic case, a massless scalar field serves as a relational time parameter. However, the extension is non-trivial…
We show that the f(T) gravitational paradigm, in which gravity is described by an arbitrary function of the torsion scalar, can provide a mechanism for realizing bouncing cosmologies, thereby avoiding the Big Bang singularity. After…
In this dissertation we study two well known gravitational scenarios in which singularities may appear; the final state of gravitational collapse and the late time evolution of the universe. In the first scenario, we study a spherically…
We consider the early time cosmology of f(R) theories in Palatini formalism and study the conditions that guarantee the existence of homogeneous and isotropic models that avoid the Big Bang singularity. We show that for such models the Big…
The spatially flat Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmological model with a massless scalar field in loop quantum cosmology admits a description in terms of a completely solvable model. This has been used to prove that: i) the quantum…
We explore the consequences of requiring that quantum theories of gravity be unitary, mostly focusing on simple cosmological models to illustrate the main points. We show that unitarity for a clock that encounters a classical singularity at…