Dynamical Horizon Entropy Bound Conjecture in Loop Quantum Cosmology

The covariant entropy bound conjecture is an important hint for the quantum gravity, with several versions available in the literature. For cosmology, Ashtekar and Wilson-Ewing ever show the consistence between the loop gravity theory and one version of this conjecture. Recently, He and Zhang [J. High Energy Phys. 10 (2007) 077] proposed a version for the dynamical horizon of the universe, which validates the entropy bound conjecture for the cosmology filled with perfect fluid in the classical scenario when the universe is far away from the big bang singularity. However, their conjecture breaks down near big bang region. We examine this conjecture in the context of the loop quantum cosmology. With the example of photon gas, this conjecture is protected by the quantum geometry effects as expected.     

Alternative quantization of the Hamiltonian in loop quantum cosmology

Since there are quantization ambiguities in constructing the Hamiltonian constraint operator in isotropic loop quantum cosmology, it is crucial to check whether the key features of loop quantum cosmology are robust against the ambiguities. In this Letter, we quantize the Lorentz term of the gravitational Hamiltonian constraint in the spatially flat FRW model by two approaches different from that of the Euclidean term. One of the approaches is very similar to the treatment of the Lorentz part of Hamiltonian in loop quantum gravity and hence inherits more features from the full theory. Two symmetric Hamiltonian constraint operators are constructed respectively in the improved scheme. Both of them are shown to have the correct classical limit by the semiclassical analysis. In the loop quantum cosmological model with a massless scalar field, the effective Hamiltonians and Friedmann equations are derived. It turns out that the classical big bang is again replaced by a quantum bounce in both cases. Moreover, there are still great possibilities for the expanding universe to recollapse due to the quantum gravity effect.     

Loop quantum cosmology: an overview

A brief overview of loop quantum cosmology of homogeneous isotropic models is presented with emphasis on the origin of and subtleties associated with the resolution of big bang and big crunch singularities. These results bear out the remarkable intuition that John Wheeler had. Discussion is organized at two levels. The the main text provides a bird’s eye view of the subject that should be accessible to non-experts. Appendices address conceptual and technical issues that are often raised by experts in loop quantum gravity and string theory.     

Tomographic entropy and cosmology

The probability representation of quantum mechanics including propagators and tomograms of quantum states of the universe and its application to quantum gravity and cosmology are reviewed. The minisuperspaces modeled by oscillator, free pointlike particle and repulsive oscillator are considered. The notion of tomographic entropy and its properties are used to find some inequalities for the tomographic probability determining the quantum state of the universe. The sense of the inequality as a lower bound for the entropy is clarified.     

Higgs boson cosmology

The discovery of the Standard Model Higgs boson opens up a range of speculative cosmological scenarios, from the formation of structure in the early universe immediately after the big bang, to relics from the electroweak phase transition one nanosecond after the big bang, on to the end of the present-day universe through vacuum decay. Higgs physics is wide ranging, and gives an impetus to go beyond the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology to explore the physics of ultra-high energies and quantum gravity.     

The problems of singularity particle horizon and flatness in quantum cosmology

Classical relativistic cosmology is known to have the space-time singularity as an inevitable feature. The standard big bang models have very small particle horizons in the early stages which make it difficult to understand the observed homogeneity in the universe. The relatively narrow range of the observed matter density in the neighbourhood of closure density requires highly fine tuning of the early universe. In this paper it is argued that these three problems can be satisfactorily resolved in quantum cosmology. It is shown that it is extremely unlikely that the universe evolved to the present state from quantum states with singularity and particle horizon. Similarly, it is shown that of all possible states the Robertson-Walker model of flat spatial sections is the most likely state for the universe to evolve out of a quantum fluctuation. To demonstrate these results a suitable formalism for quantum cosmology is first developed.     

Background Dynamics of Pre-inflationary Scenario in Brans-Dicke Loop Quantum Cosmology

Recently the background independent nonperturbative quantization has been extended to various theories of gravity and the corresponding quantum effective cosmology has been derived, which provides us with necessary avenue to explore the pre-inflationary dynamics. Brans-Dicke (BD) loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is one of such theories whose effective background dynamics is considered in this article. Starting with a quantum bounce, we explore the pre-inflationary dynamics of a universe sourced by a scalar field with the Starobinsky potential in BD-LQC. Our study is based on the idea that though Einstein's and Jordan's frames are classically equivalent up to a conformal transformation in BD theory, this is no longer true after quantization. Taking the Jordan frame as the physical one we explore in detail the bouncing scenario which is followed by a phase of a slow roll inflation. The three phases of the evolution of the universe, namely, bouncing, transition from quantum bounce to classical universe, and the slow roll inflation, are noted for an initially kinetic energy dominated bounce. In addition, to be consistent with observations, we also identify the allowed phase space of initial conditions that would produce at least 60 e-folds of expansion during the slow roll inflation.     

Modified Friedmann Equations on the Brane from Entropic Force

The well-known area relation of the black hole entropy can be modified from the inclusion of quantum effects, motivated from the loop quantum gravity. Applying this modified entropy-area relation to brane cosmology, we derive the modified cosmological equations governing the evolution of the universe on the brane. We adopt the viewpoint that interprets gravity as an entropic force caused by the changes in the information when a material body moves away from the holographic screen.     

Loop quantum modified gravity and its cosmological application

A general nonperturvative loop quantization procedure for metric modified gravity is reviewed. As an example, this procedure is applied to scalar-tensor theories of gravity. The quantum kinematical framework of these theories is rigorously constructed. Both the Hamiltonian and master constraint operators are well defined and proposed to represent quantum dynamics of scalar-tensor theories. As an application to models, we set up the basic structure of loop quantum Brans-Dicke cosmology. The effective dynamical equations of loop quantum Brans-Dicke cosmology are also obtained, which lay a foundation for the phenomenological investigation to possible quantum gravity effects in cosmology.     

Path Integrals and Alternative Effective Dynamics in Loop Quantum Cosmology

The alternative dynamics of loop quantum cosmology is examined by the path integral formulation.We consider the spatially flat FRW models with a massless scalar field,where the alternative quantizations inherit more features from full loop quantum gravity.The path integrals can be formulated in both timeless and deparameterized frameworks.It turns out that the effective Hamiltonians derived from the two different viewpoints are equivalent to each other.Moreover,the first-order modified Friedmann equations are derived and predict quantum bounces for contracting universe,which coincide with those obtained in canonical theory.     

Interacting Entropy-Corrected Agegraphic-Tachyon Dark Energy

Motivated by recent work of Sheykhi (Phys. Lett. B 682:329, 2010), we generalize this work to agegraphic tachyon models of dark energy with entropy correction terms arising from loop quantum gravity. We establish a connection between the entropy-corrected agegraphic dark energy and the tachyon scalar field in a universe with spacial curvature and reconstruct the potential and the dynamics of the tachyon scalar field which describe the tachyon cosmology. The cosmological implications of the entropy-corrected agegraphic dark energy models are also discussed.     

Quantum Computation Toward Quantum Gravity

The aim of this paper is to enlighten the emerging relevance of Quantum Information Theory in the field of Quantum Gravity. As it was suggested by J. A. Wheeler, information theory must play a relevant role in understanding the foundations of Quantum Mechanics (the "It from bit" proposal). Here we suggest that quantum information must play a relevant role in Quantum Gravity (the "It from qubit" proposal). The conjecture is that Quantum Gravity, the theory which will reconcile Quantum Mechanics with General Relativity, can be formulated in terms of quantum bits of information (qubits) stored in space at the Planck scale. This conjecture is based on the following arguments: a) The holographic principle, b) The loop quantum gravity approach and spin networks, c) Quantum geometry and black hole entropy. From the above arguments, as they stand in the literature, it follows that the edges of spin networks pierce the black hole horizon and excite curvature degrees of freedom on the surface. These excitations are micro-states of Chern-Simons theory and account of the black hole entropy which turns out to be a quarter of the area of the horizon, (in units of Planck area), in accordance with the holographic principle. Moreover, the states which dominate the counting correspond to punctures of spin j = 1/2 and one can in fact visualize each micro-state as a bit of information. The obvious generalization of this result is to consider open spin networks with edges labeled by the spin –1/ 2 representation of SU(2) in a superposed state of spin "on" and spin "down." The micro-state corresponding to such a puncture will be a pixel of area which is "on" and "off" at the same time, and it will encode a qubit of information. This picture, when applied to quantum cosmology, describes an early inflationary universe which is a discrete version of the de Sitter universe.     

Entropy bounds and Cardy–Verlinde formula in Yang–Mills theory

Using gauge formulation of gravity the three-dimensional SU(2) YM theory equations of motion are presented in equivalent form as FRW cosmological equations. With the radiation, the particular (periodic, big bang – big crunch) three-dimensional universe is constructed. Cosmological entropy bounds (so-called Cardy–Verlinde formula) have the standard form in such universe. Mapping such universe back to YM formulation we got the thermal solution of YM theory. The corresponding holographic entropy bounds (Cardy–Verlinde formula) in YM theory are constructed. This indicates to universal character of holographic relations.     

Interacting entropy-corrected new agegraphic dark energy in Brans–Dicke cosmology

Motivated by a recent work of one of us (Sheykhi in Phys Rev D 81: 023525, 2010), we extend it by using quantum (or entropy) corrected new agegraphic dark energy in the Brans–Dicke cosmology. The correction terms are motivated from the loop quantum gravity which is one of the competitive theories of quantum gravity. Taking the non-flat background spacetime along with the conformal age of the universe as the length scale, we derive the dynamical equation of state of dark energy and the deceleration parameter. An important consequence of this study is the phantom divide scenario with entropy-corrected new agegraphic dark energy. Moreover, we assume a system of dark matter, radiation and dark energy, while the later interacts only with dark matter. We obtain some essential expressions related with dark energy dynamics. The cosmic coincidence problem is also resolved in our model.     

Georges Lemaître,Pioneer of Modern Theoretical Cosmology

No other scientist may have had a greater impact on modern cosmology than the Belgian physicist, astronomer and priest Georges Lemaître. In 1927 he predicted the expansion of the universe on the basis of the cosmological field equations; and four years later he proposed what he called the primeval-atom hypothesis, the first version of the later big bang universe. In all his work on cosmology the cosmological constant Λ played a significant role. A recognized expert in the theory of general relativity, Lemaître also contributed significantly to the theoretical clarification of local and global singularity problems. Still, when he died in 1968, at a time when the standard big bang model celebrated its first victories, he was largely forgotten or recalled only as a somewhat shadowy figure of the past. This essay reviews in a historical context the scientific work of Lemaître with particular attention to his seminal contributions in the decade between 1925 and 1934.     

Consistent Histories in Quantum Cosmology

We illustrate the crucial role played by decoherence (consistency of quantum histories) in extracting consistent quantum probabilities for alternative histories in quantum cosmology. Specifically, within a Wheeler-DeWitt quantization of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model sourced with a free massless scalar field, we calculate the probability that the universe is singular in the sense that it assumes zero volume. Classical solutions of this model are a disjoint set of expanding and contracting singular branches. A naive assessment of the behavior of quantum states which are superpositions of expanding and contracting universes suggests that a “quantum bounce” is possible i.e. that the wave function of the universe may remain peaked on a non-singular classical solution throughout its history. However, a more careful consistent histories analysis shows that for arbitrary states in the physical Hilbert space the probability of this Wheeler-DeWitt quantum universe encountering the big bang/crunch singularity is equal to unity. A quantum Wheeler-DeWitt universe is inevitably singular, and a “quantum bounce” is thus not possible in these models.     

量子史瓦茨黑洞和暗物质

引入Sommerfeld作用量量子化条件来处理Schwarzschild黑洞的量子化问题. 发现此类量子化黑洞存在一个质量为m_G=123m_p的基态，处于基态的量子Schwarzschild黑洞不再存在Hawking蒸发和任何其他辐射，可名之曰暗星. 它的存在不仅可以解决信息丢失的疑难，而且极可能是构成暗物质的主要候选者. 关键词： 量子史瓦茨黑洞 暗物质     

Quantum nature of the big bang

Some long-standing issues concerning the quantum nature of the big bang are resolved in the context of homogeneous isotropic models with a scalar field. Specifically, the known results on the resolution of the big-bang singularity in loop quantum cosmology are significantly extended as follows: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the "emergent time" idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime.     

Condensation and evolution of a space-time network

In this work, we try to propose in a novel way, using the Bose and Fermi quantum network approach, a framework studying condensation and evolution of a space-time network described by the Loop quantum gravity. Considering quantum network connectivity features in Loop quantum gravity, we introduce a link operator, and through extending the dynamical equation for the evolution of the quantum network posed by Ginestra Bianconi to an operator equation, we get the solution of the link operator. This solution is relevant to the Hamiltonian of the network, and then is related to the energy distribution of network nodes. Showing that tremendous energy distribution induces a huge curved space-time network may indicate space time condensation in high-energy nodes. For example, in the case of black holes, quantum energy distribution is related to the area, thus the eigenvalues of the link operator of the nodes can be related to the quantum number of the area, and the eigenvectors are just the spin network states. This reveals that the degree distribution of nodes for the space-time network is quantized, which can form space-time network condensation. The black hole is a sort of result of space-time network condensation, however there may be more extensive space-time network condensations, such as the universe singularity (big bang).      

量子纠缠与宇宙学弗里德曼方程

量子纠缠作为量子信息理论中最核心的部分,代表量子态一种内在的特性,是微观物质的一种根本的性质,它是以非定域的形式存在于多子量子系统中的一种神奇的物理现象.熵也是量子信息理论的重要概念之一,纠缠熵作为量子信息的一个测度已经成为一种重要的理论工具,为物理学中的各类课题提供了新的研究方法.本文主要考虑量子纠缠的宇宙学应用,试图更好地从纠缠的角度来理解宇宙动力学.本文研究了量子信息理论的概念和宇宙学之间的深层联系,利用费米正则坐标和共形费米坐标构建了弗里德曼- 勒梅特-罗伯逊-沃尔克宇宙学弗里德曼方程和纠缠之间的联系.假设小测地球（a geodesic ball）的纠缠熵在给定体积下是最大的,可以从量子纠缠第一定律推导出弗里德曼方程.研究表明引力与量子纠缠之间存在着某种深刻的联系,这种联系对引力场方程的解是成立的.