Quantization ambiguities and the robustness of effective descriptions of primordial perturbations in hybrid Loop Quantum Cosmology

We study the imprint that certain quantization ambiguities may leave in effective regimes of the hybrid loop quantum description of cosmological perturbations. More specifically, in the case of scalar perturbations we investigate how to reconstruct the Mukhanov-Sasaki field in the effective regime of Loop Quantum Cosmology, taking as starting point for the quantization a canonical formulation in terms of other perturbative gauge invariants that possess different dynamics. This formulation of the quantum theory, in terms of variables other than the Mukhanov-Sasaki ones, is crucial to arrive at a quantum Hamiltonian with a good behavior, elluding the problems with ill defined Hamiltonian operators typical of quantum field theories. In the reconstruction of the Mukhanov-Sasaki field, we ask that the effective Mukhanov-Sasaki equations adopt a similar form and display the same Hamiltonian structure as the classical ones, a property that has been widely assumed in Loop Quantum Cosmology studies over the last decade. This condition actually restricts the freedom inherent to certain quantization ambiguities. Once these ambiguities are removed, the reconstruction of the Mukhanov-Sasaki field naturally identifies a set of positive-frequency solutions to the effective equations, and hence a choice of initial conditions for the perturbations. Our analysis constitutes an important and necessary test of the robustness of standard effective descriptions in Loop Quantum Cosmology, along with their observational predictions on the primordial power spectrum, taking into account that they should be the consequence of a more fundamental quantum theory with a well-defined Hamiltonian, in the spirit of Dirac’s long-standing ideas.

Effective actions for loop quantum cosmology in fourth-order gravity

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 effective Friedmann equation of LQC, by considering a generic f(R, P, Q) theory of gravity, where $$R=g^{\mu \nu }R_{\mu \nu }$$ R = g μ ν R μ ν is the Ricci scalar, $$P=R_{\mu \nu }R^{\mu \nu }$$ P = R μ ν R μ ν , and $$Q=R_{\alpha \beta \mu \nu }R^{\alpha \beta \mu \nu }$$ Q = R α β μ ν R α β μ ν is the Kretschmann scalar. An order reduction technique allows us to work in f(R, P, Q) theories which are perturbatively close to General Relativity, and to deduce a modified Friedmann equation in the reduced theory. Requiring that the modified Friedmann equation mimics the effective Friedmann equation of LQC, we are able to derive several functional forms of f(R, P, Q). We discuss the necessary conditions to obtain viable bouncing cosmologies for the proposed effective actions of f(R, P, Q) theory of gravity.

An Overview on the Nature of the Bounce in LQC and PQM

We present a review on some of the basic aspects concerning quantum cosmology in the presence of cut-off physics as it has emerged in the literature during the last fifteen years. We first analyze how the Wheeler–DeWitt equation describes the quantum Universe dynamics, when a pure metric approach is concerned, showing how, in general, the primordial singularity is not removed by the quantum effects. We then analyze the main implications of applying the loop quantum gravity prescriptions to the minisuperspace model, i.e., we discuss the basic features of the so-called loop quantum cosmology. For the isotropic Universe dynamics, we compare the original approach, dubbed the μ0 scheme, and the most commonly accepted formulation for which the area gap is taken as physically scaled, i.e., the so-called μ¯ scheme. Furthermore, some fundamental results concerning the Bianchi Universes are discussed, especially with respect to the morphology of the Bianchi IX model. Finally, we consider some relevant criticisms developed over the last ten years about the real link existing between the full theory of loop quantum gravity and its minisuperspace implementation, especially with respect to the preservation of the internal SU(2) symmetry. In the second part of the review, we consider the dynamics of the isotropic Universe and of the Bianchi models in the framework of polymer quantum mechanics. Throughout the paper, we focus on the effective semiclassical dynamics and study the full quantum theory only in some cases, such as the FLRW model and the Bianchi I model in the Ashtekar variables. We first address the polymerization in terms of the Ashtekar–Barbero–Immirzi connection and show how the resulting dynamics is isomorphic to the μ0 scheme of loop quantum cosmology with a critical energy density of the Universe that depends on the initial conditions of the dynamics. The following step is to analyze the polymerization of volume-like variables, both for the isotropic and Bianchi I models, and we see that if the Universe volume (the cubed scale factor) is one of the configurational variables, then the resulting dynamics is isomorphic to that one emerging in loop quantum cosmology for the μ¯ scheme, with the critical energy density value being fixed only by fundamental constants and the Immirzi parameter. Finally, we consider the polymer quantum dynamics of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous Mixmaster model by means of a metric approach. In particular, we compare the results obtained by using the volume variable, which leads to the emergence of a singularity- and chaos-free cosmology, to the use of the standard Misner variable. In the latter case, we deal with the surprising result of a cosmology that is still singular, and its chaotic properties depend on the ratio between the lattice steps for the isotropic and anisotropic variables. We conclude the review with some considerations of the problem of changing variables in the polymer representation of the minisuperspace dynamics. In particular, on a semiclassical level, we consider how the dynamics can be properly mapped in two different sets of variables (at the price of having to deal with a coordinate dependent lattice step), and we infer some possible implications on the equivalence of the μ0 and μ¯ scheme of loop quantum cosmology.

Anomalies in the Cosmic Microwave Background and Their Non-Gaussian Origin in Loop Quantum Cosmology

Anomalies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) refer to features that have been observed, mostly at large angular scales, and which show some tension with the statistical predictions of the standard ΛCDM model. In this work, we focus our attention on power suppression, dipolar modulation, a preference for odd parity, and the tension in the lensing parameter AL. Though the statistical significance of each individual anomaly is inconclusive, collectively they are significant, and could indicate new physics beyond the ΛCDM model. In this article, we present a brief, but pedagogical introduction to CMB anomalies and propose a common origin in the context of loop quantum cosmology.

Non-Oscillatory Power Spectrum From States of Low Energy in Kinetically Dominated Early Universes

Recently, States of Low Energy (SLEs) have been proposed as viable vacuum states of primordial perturbations within Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC). In this work we investigate the effect of the high curvature region of LQC on the definition of SLEs. Shifting the support of the test function that defines them away from this regime results in primordial power spectra of perturbations closer to those of the so-called Non-oscillatory (NO) vacuum, which is another viable choice of initial conditions previously introduced in the LQC context. Furthermore, through a comparison with the Hadamard-like SLEs, we prove that the NO vacuum is of Hadamard type as well.

A Brief Overview of Results about Uniqueness of the Quantization in Cosmology

The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of recent conceptual developments regarding possible criteria to guarantee the uniqueness of the quantization in a variety of situations that are found in cosmological systems. These criteria impose certain conditions on the representation of a group of physically relevant linear transformations. Generally, this group contains any existing symmetry of the spatial sections. These symmetries may or may not be sufficient for the purpose of uniqueness and may have to be complemented with other remaining symmetries that affect the time direction or with dynamical transformations that are, in fact, not symmetries. We discuss the extent to which a unitary implementation of the resulting group suffices to fix the quantization—a demand that can be seen as a weaker version of the requirement of invariance. In particular, a strict invariance under certain transformations may eliminate some physically interesting possibilities in the passage to the quantum theory. This is the first review in which this unified perspective is adopted to discuss otherwise different uniqueness criteria proposed either in homogeneous loop quantum cosmology or in the Fock quantization of inhomogeneous cosmologies.