Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity and Cosmology

Speaker: Francesca Vidotto (Western University, Ontario)
Abstract: The covariant formulation of Loop Quantum Gravity dynamics, referred also as Spinfoam, provides currently the most complete formulation for a non-perturbative theory of quantum gravity. It is a formulation of the gravitational path integral as a discrete sum over geometries: it gives well defined transition amplitudes in 4-dimensional Lorentzian spacetime, possibly formulated also with a positive cosmological constant, that have General Relativity as their classical limit. The conceptual and computational progresses in the covariant framework of LQG have brought a number of results in its application to cosmology. In this talk I highlight some of the most interesting steps forward in spinfoam cosmology. I briefly review the general assumption in defining the cosmological model. I focus then on the development of a novel strategy to compute cosmological primordial correlations and entanglement entropy. I also discuss the current understanding of the singularity resolution and the cosmological bounce from the covariant perspective.