Cyclic universe from Loop Quantum Gravity

One possible description of the very early stages of the evolution of the universe is provided by Chaotic Inflationary Cosmology. For that model the role of the inflaton field is played by quantum gravitational effects. We study if such a picture may arise within the framework of Loop Quantum gravity by studying a simple model. While we were unable to reach definitive conclusions we believe the general approach proposed in this paper may prove fruitful in the future.

Loop quantum cosmology applies techniques derived for a background independent quantization of general relativity to cosmological situations and draws conclusions for the very early universe. Direct implications for the singularity problem as well as phenomenology in the context of inflation or bouncing universes result, which will be reviewed here. The discussion focuses on recent new results for structure formation and generalizations of the methods.

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 an...

We shall present a model of the "cyclic universe" that can be constructed only by assuming a minimal set of properties of string theory. We clarify our viewpoint of the cyclic universe and show some attempts to mateliarize the idea as field theoretical manner.

We consider the k=1 Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) model within loop quantum cosmology, paying special attention to the existence of an ambiguity in the quantization process. In spatially non-flat anisotropic models such as Bianchi II and IX, the standard method of defining the curvature through closed holonomies is not admissible. Instead, one has to implement the quantum constraints by approximating the connection via open holonomies. In the case of flat k=0 FRW and Bianch...

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 reconstruc...

In the recent years the quantization methods of Loop Quantum Gravity have been successfully applied to the homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-times. The resulting theory, called Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC), resolves the Big Bang singularity by replacing it with the Big Bounce. We argue that LQC generates also certain corrections to field theoretical inflationary scenarios. These corrections imply that in the LQC the effective sonic horizon becomes inf...

In the present paper we study the evolution of the modes of a scalar field in a cyclic cosmology. In order to keep the discussion clear, we study the features of a scalar field in a toy model, a Friedman-Robertson-Walker universe with a periodic scale factor, in which the universe expands, contracts and bounces infinite times, in the approximation in which the dynamic features of this universe are driven by some external factor, without the backreaction of the scalar field un...

Aspects of the full theory of loop quantum gravity can be studied in a simpler context by reducing to symmetric models like cosmological ones. This leads to several applications where loop effects play a significant role when one is sensitive to the quantum regime. As a consequence, the structure of and the approach to classical singularities are very different from general relativity: The quantum theory is free of singularities, and there are new phenomenological scenarios f...

A well-motivated extension of higher order holonomy corrections in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) for the $k=0$ Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model is investigated at the level of heuristic effective dynamics. It reveals that the quantum bounce is generic, regardless of the order of corrections, and the matter density remains finite, bounded from above by an upper bound in the regime of the Planckian density, even if all orders of corrections are included. This observation provide...