Some conceptual issues in loop quantum cosmology

Abstract

Loop quantum gravity is a mature theory. To proceed to explicit calculations in cosmology, it is necessary to make assumptions and simplifications based on the symmetries of the cosmological setting. Symmetry reduction is especially critical when dealing with cosmological perturbations. The present article reviews several approaches to the problem of building a consistent formalism that describes the dynamics of perturbations on a quantum spacetime and tries to address their respective strengths and weaknesses. We also review the main open issues in loop quantum cosmology.Comment: Invited article for an IJMP volume dedicated to loop quantum gravit