Emergence of Loop Quantum Cosmology from Loop Quantum Gravity: Lowest Order in h

Abstract

To derive loop quantum cosmology from loop quantum gravity, I apply the model given in \cite{lin1} to a system with coupled gravitational and matter fields. The matter sector consists of a scalar field $phi$ serving as a cosmological clock, and other fields ${psi}$ providing physical spatial coordinates and frames. The physical Hilbert space of the model is constructed from the kinematical Hilbert space of loop quantum gravity, and the local observables in the physical Hilbert space are constructed using the matter coordinates and frames. A specific coherent physical state is then chosen, whose expectation values of the local observables give rise to homogeneous, isotropic and spatially flat gravitational and $phi$ fields at a late clock time. The equations governing these fields may be derived using the symmetry of the physical Hilbert space. When the matter back reactions from ${psi}$ are negligible, the result gives a specific loop quantum cosmological model in the $O(hbar^0)$ approximation, with calculable higher order corrections.