Abhay Ashtekar (Penn State):

Quantum Gravity and the Very Early Universe

Abstract:

Since the standard cosmological perturbation theory is based on QFT on curved space-times, it is not applicable in the Planck era. Using techniques from loop quantum gravity, it was recently extended to a self-consistent theory all the way to the Planck scale, covering some 11 orders of magnitude in energy density and curvature.

This pre-inflationary dynamics also opens a small window for novel effects, e.g. a source for non-Gaussianities, which could extend the reach of cosmological observations to the deep Planck regime of the early universe.

The new results were obtained jointly with Ivan Agullo and William Nelson and are based on previous work with and by Alex Corichi, Tomasz Pawlowski, Param Singh and David Sloan.

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