Related papers: On (Cosmological) Singularity Avoidance in Loop Qu…
An outstanding open issue in our quest for physics beyond Einstein is the unification of general relativity (GR) and quantum physics. Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a leading approach toward this goal. At its heart is the central lesson of…
The basic idea of the LQC applies to every spatially homogeneous cosmological model, however only the spatially flat (so called $k=0$) case has been understood in detail in the literature thus far. In the closed (so called: k=1) case…
Loop quantum gravity is believed to eliminate singularities such as the big bang and big crunch singularity. This belief is based on studies of so-called loop quantum cosmology which concerns symmetry-reduced models of quantum gravity. In…
A fundamental issue for any quantum cosmological theory is to specify how probabilities can be assigned to various quantum events or sequences of events such as the occurrence of singularities or bounces. In previous work, we have…
One of the most remarkable phenomena in Loop Quantum Cosmology is that, at least for homogeneous cosmological models, the Big Bang is replaced with a Big Bounce that connects our universe with a previous branch without passing through a…
Based on modifications inspired from loop quantum gravity (LQG), spherically symmetric models have recently been explored to understand the resolution of classical singularities and the fate of the spacetime beyond. While such…
A manifestly Lorentz-covariant formulation of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) is given in terms of finite-dimensional representations of the Lorentz group. The formulation accounts for discrete symmetries, such as parity and time-reversal, and…
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…
Loop quantum cosmology of the k=0 FRW model (with a massless scalar field) is shown to be exactly soluble if the scalar field is used as the internal time already in the classical Hamiltonian theory. Analytical methods are then used i) to…
We do not observe quantum effects on cosmological scales. Thus, if loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is to provide an accurate depiction of the real world, it must allow for quantum states of spacetime geometry which are semi-classical in two…
Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is used to provide concrete evidence in support of the general paradigm underlying spin foam models (SFMs). Specifically, it is shown that: i) the physical inner product in the timeless framework equals the…
There is rich literature on regular black holes from loop quantum gravity (LQG), where quantum geometry effects resolve the singularity, leading to a quantum extension of the classical space-time. As we will see, the mechanism that resolves…
The quantum evolution equation of Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) -- the quantum Hamiltonian constraint -- is a difference equation. We relate the LQC constraint equation in vacuum Bianchi I separable (locally rotationally symmetric) models…
Several conceptual aspects of quantum gravity are studied on the example of the homogeneous isotropic LQC model. In particular: $(i)$ The proper time of the co-moving observers is showed to be a quantum operator {and} a quantum spacetime…
We use the mathematical framework of loop quantum gravity (LQG) to study the quantization of three dimensional (Riemannian) gravity with positive cosmological constant (Lambda>0). We show that the usual regularization techniques (successful…
Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) is a theory which renders the Big Bang initial singularity into a quantum bounce, by means of short range repulsive quantum effects at the Planck scale. In this work, we are interested in reproducing the…
Quantum effects are expected to modify the cosmological dynamics of the early universe while maintaining some (potentially discrete) notion of space-time structure. In one approach, loop quantum cosmology, current models are shown here to…
In this paper we address the meaning of states in loop quantum cosmology (LQC), in the context of loop quantum gravity. First, we introduce a rigorous formulation of an embedding proposed by Bojowald and Kastrup, of LQC states into loop…
General Relativity is an extremely successful theory, at least for weak gravitational fields, however, it breaks down at very high energies, such as in correspondence of the initial singularity. Quantum Gravity is expected to provide more…
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…