The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the physical foundations of quantum cosmology, covering essential topics such as space-time physics, quantum theory, and various approaches to quantum gravity. It serves as a crucial resource for researchers in the field of quantum gravity and astrophysicists who are exploring the fundamental aspects of cosmology, making complex concepts accessible for advanced study.
The book presents a modern understanding of the universe based on relativity, quantum physics and their elusive combination. It introduces the crucial theoretical ingredients in an accessible way, starting from the physics of Newton and developing subsequent theories all the way to the modern enigma of quantum gravity
Exploring the groundbreaking implications of quantum gravity theory, this volume delves into the behavior of black holes and the origins of the universe. It presents accessible models to elucidate complex topics, such as loop quantization, making advanced concepts approachable for readers. The book aims to bridge the gap between theoretical physics and practical understanding, offering insights into the fundamental workings of the cosmos.
In his introduction to a revolutionary theory of the cosmos, Martin Bojowald shows how the big bang theory may give way to the big bounce theory, which describes our universe as an eternal series of expansions and contractions, with no beginning and no end. In 2000, Bojowald, then a twenty-seven-year-old postdoctoral student at Pennsylvania State University, used a relatively new theory called loop quantum gravity—a cunning combination of Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics—to create a simple model of the universe. Loop quantum cosmology, or LQC, was born, and with it, a theory that managed to do something even Einstein’s general theory of relativity had failed to do—illuminate the very birth of the universe.