TY - CHAP
T1 - Loop quantum cosmology, space-time structure, and falsifiability
AU - Bojowald, Martin
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Loop quantum cosmology attempts to understand the full dynamics of loop quantum gravity by realizing crucial effects in simpler, usually symmetric settings. Several subtleties arise especially when cosmological questions are to be addressed, related to possible mini-superspace artefacts, consistent cosmological perturbation theory, and quantum space-time structure. Recent work on inhomogeneous perturbations has highlighted some of the dangers of an over-reliance on simple models, sometimes not just reduced by symmetry but also in the possible forms of matter or quantum corrections. Only a consistent treatment of inhomogeneity, taking into account the full gauge structure related to general covariance, can show what happens at high densities in quantum gravity. The relevant methods and results (especially effective equations, potential observational signatures, singularity resolution and signature change) are surveyed in here.
AB - Loop quantum cosmology attempts to understand the full dynamics of loop quantum gravity by realizing crucial effects in simpler, usually symmetric settings. Several subtleties arise especially when cosmological questions are to be addressed, related to possible mini-superspace artefacts, consistent cosmological perturbation theory, and quantum space-time structure. Recent work on inhomogeneous perturbations has highlighted some of the dangers of an over-reliance on simple models, sometimes not just reduced by symmetry but also in the possible forms of matter or quantum corrections. Only a consistent treatment of inhomogeneity, taking into account the full gauge structure related to general covariance, can show what happens at high densities in quantum gravity. The relevant methods and results (especially effective equations, potential observational signatures, singularity resolution and signature change) are surveyed in here.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870551311&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84870551311&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-33036-0_7
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-33036-0_7
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:84870551311
SN - 9783642330353
T3 - Lecture Notes in Physics
SP - 149
EP - 184
BT - Quantum Gravity and Quantum Cosmology
A2 - Calcagni, Gianluca
A2 - Papantonopoulos, Lefteris
A2 - Siopsis, George
A2 - Tsamis, Nikos
ER -