arXiv subjects

Tomasz Pawlowski

Publications and source records attributed to Tomasz Pawlowski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Quantum fluctuations and semiclassicality in an inflaton-driven evolution

A semiclassical description of quantum systems is applied to probe the dynamics of the cosmological model of an inflationary universe with quadratic inflaton potential, described in a quantum framework of geometrodynamics. The systematic analysis, focusing in particular on the inflationary and post-inflationary epochs, revealed several surprising and counterintuitive features: $(i)$ during inflation the universe rapidly spreads out in volume which leads to significant relative variance by the end of inflation; $(ii)$ despite that, the quantum evolution can still be described to high accuracy by semiclassical methods; $(iii)$ moreover, in the post-inflationary epoch, as the order of included quantum corrections increases, the quantum trajectory approaches the classical one and the description involving second-order corrections only is actually the least accurate there. The consequence of the latter is that the effects of the quantum variances are washed out by the higher-order quantum corrections.

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arXiv2019

Emergent de Sitter epoch of the Loop Quantum Cosmos: a detailed analysis

We present a detailed analysis of a quantum model for Loop Quantum Cosmology based on strict application of the Thiemann regularization algorithm for the Hamiltonian in Loop Quantum Gravity, extending the results presented previously in our brief report. This construction leads to a qualitative modification of the bounce paradigm. Quantum gravity effects still lead to a quantum bounce connecting deterministically large classical Universes. However, the evolution features a large epoch of de Sitter Universe, with emergent cosmological constant of Planckian order, smoothly transiting into a spatially flat expanding Universe. Moreover, we present an effective Hamiltonian describing the quantum evolution to high accuracy and for which the dynamics can be solved analytically.

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arXiv2014

Loop quantum cosmology of a radiation-dominated flat FLRW universe

We study the loop quantum cosmology of a flat Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker space-time with a Maxwell field. We show that many of the qualitative properties derived for the case of a massless scalar field also hold for a Maxwell field. In particular, the big-bang singularity is replaced by a quantum bounce, and the operator corresponding to the matter energy density is bounded above by the same critical energy density. We also numerically study the evolution of wave functions that are sharply peaked in the low energy regime, and derive effective equations which very closely approximate the full quantum dynamics of sharply peaked states at all times, including the near-bounce epoch. In the process, the analytical and numerical methods originally used to study the dynamics in LQC for the case of a massless scalar field are substantially improved to handle the difficulties (that generically arise for matter content other than a massless scalar field) related to the presence of a Maxwell field.

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arXiv2014

Neighbourhoods of Isolated Horizons and their stationarity

A distinguished (invariant) Bondi-like coordinate system is defined in the spacetime neighbourhood of a non-expanding horizon of arbitrary dimension via geometry invariants of the horizon. With its use, the radial expansion of a spacetime metric about the horizon is provided and the free data needed to specify it up to given order are determined in spacetime dimension $4$. For the case of an electro-vacuum horizon in $4$-dimensional spacetime the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a Killing field at its neighbourhood are identified as differential conditions on the horizon data and data on null surface transversal to the horizon.

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arXiv2013

Singularity resolution from polymer quantum matter

We study the polymeric nature of quantum matter fields using the example of a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe sourced by a minimally coupled massless scalar field. The model is treated in the symmetry reduced regime via deparametrization techniques, with the scale factor playing the role of time. Subsequently, the remaining dynamic degrees of freedom corresponding to the matter are polymer quantized. The analysis of the resulting genuine quantum dynamic shows that the big bang singularity is resolved, although with the form of the resolution differing significantly from that in the models with matter clocks: dynamically, the singularity is made passable rather than avoided. Furthermore, this analysis exposes crucial limitations to the so-called effective dynamic in loop quantum cosmology when applied outside of the most basic isotropic settings.

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arXiv2013

Dust time in quantum cosmology

We give a formulation of quantum cosmology with a pressureless dust and arbitrary additional matter fields. The dust provides a natural time gauge corresponding to a cosmic time, yielding a physical time independent Hamiltonian. The approach simplifies the analysis of both Wheeler-deWitt and loop quantum cosmology models, broadening the applicability of the latter.

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arXiv2013

A computable framework for Loop Quantum Gravity

We present a non-perturbative quantization of general relativity coupled to dust and other matter fields. The dust provides a natural time variable, leading to a physical Hamiltonian with spatial diffeomorphism symmetry. The methods of loop quantum gravity applied to this model lead to a physical Hilbert space and Hamiltonian. This provides a framework for physical calculations in the theory.

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arXiv2013

Loop quantum cosmology for nonminimally coupled scalar field

We perform a LQC-quantization of the FRW cosmological model with nonminimally coupled scalar field. Making use of a canonical transformation, we recast the theory in the minimally coupled form (Einstein frame), for which standard LQC techniques can be applied to find the physical Hilbert space and the dynamics. We then focus on the semiclassical sector, obtaining a classical effective Hamiltonian, which can be used to study the dynamics. We show that the classical singularity is replaced by a "mexican hat"-shaped bounce, joining the contracting and expanding branches. The model accommodates Higgs-driven inflation, with more than enough e-folding for any physically meaningful initial condition.

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arXiv2013

Inflation from non-minimally coupled scalar field in loop quantum cosmology

The FRW model with non-minimally coupled massive scalar field has been investigated in LQC framework. Considered form of the potential and coupling allows applications to Higgs driven inflation. Out of two frames used in the literature to describe such systems: Jordan and Einstein frame, the latter one is applied. Specifically, we explore the idea of the Einstein frame being the natural 'environment' for quantization and the Jordan picture having an emergent nature. The resulting dynamics qualitatively modifies the standard bounce paradigm in LQC in two ways: (i) the bounce point is no longer marked by critical matter energy density, (ii) the Planck scale physics features the 'mexican hat' trajectory with two consecutive bounces and rapid expansion and recollapse between them. Furthermore, for physically viable coupling strength and initial data the subsequent inflation exceeds 60 e-foldings.

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arXiv2012

Time and a physical Hamiltonian for quantum gravity

We present a non-perturbative quantization of general relativity coupled to dust and other matter fields. The dust provides a natural time variable, leading to a physical Hamiltonian with spatial diffeomorphism symmetry. The surprising feature is that the Hamiltonian is not a square root. This property, together with the kinematical structure of loop quantum gravity, provides a complete theory of quantum gravity, and puts in technical reach applications to cosmology, quantum gravitational collapse and Hawking radiation.

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arXiv2011

Positive cosmological constant in loop quantum cosmology

The k=0 Friedmann Lemaitre Robertson Walker model with a positive cosmological constant and a massless scalar field is analyzed in detail. If one uses the scalar field as relational time, new features arise already in the Hamiltonian framework of classical general relativity: In a finite interval of relational time, the universe expands out to infinite proper time and zero matter density. In the deparameterized quantum theory, the true Hamiltonian now fails to be essentially self-adjoint both in the Wheeler DeWitt (WDW) approach and in LQC. Irrespective of the choice of the self-adjoint extension, the big bang singularity persists in the WDW theory while it is resolved and replaced by a big bounce in loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Furthermore, the quantum evolution is surprisingly insensitive to the choice of the self-adjoint extension. This may be a special case of an yet to be discovered general property of a certain class of symmetric operators that fail to be essentially self-adjoint.

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arXiv2011

Dust reference frame in quantum cosmology

We give a formulation of quantum cosmology with a pressureless dust and arbitrary additional matter fields. The system has the property that its Hamiltonian constraint is linear in the dust momentum. This feature provides a natural time gauge, leading to a physical hamiltonian that is not a square root. Quantization leads to Schr{ö}dinger equation for which unitary evolution is directly linked to geodesic completeness. Our approach simplifies the analysis of both Wheeler-deWitt and loop quantum cosmology (LQC) models, and significantly broadens the applicability of the latter. This is demonstrated for arbitrary scalar field potential and cosmological constant in LQC.

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arXiv2011

Prescriptions in Loop Quantum Cosmology: A comparative analysis

Various prescriptions proposed in the literature to attain the polymeric quantization of a homogeneous and isotropic flat spacetime coupled to a massless scalar field are carefully analyzed in order to discuss their differences. A detailed numerical analysis confirms that, for states which are not deep in the quantum realm, the expectation values and dispersions of some natural observables of interest in cosmology are qualitatively the same for all the considered prescriptions. On the contrary, the amplitude of the wave functions of those states differs considerably at the bounce epoch for these prescriptions. This difference cannot be absorbed by a change of representation. Finally, the prescriptions with simpler superselection sectors are clearly more efficient from the numerical point of view.

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arXiv2011

Effective dynamics of the hybrid quantization of the Gowdy T^3 universe

The quantum dynamics of the linearly polarized Gowdy T^3 model (compact inhomogeneous universes admitting linearly polarized gravitational waves) is analyzed within Loop Quantum Cosmology by means of an effective dynamics. The analysis, performed via analytical and numerical methods, proves that the behavior found in the evolution of vacuum (homogeneous) Bianchi I universes is preserved qualitatively also in the presence of inhomogeneities. More precisely, the initial singularity is replaced by a big bounce which joins deterministically two large classical universes. In addition, we show that the size of the universe at the bounce is at least of the same order of magnitude (roughly speaking) as the size of the corresponding homogeneous universe obtained in the absence of gravitational waves. In particular, a precise lower bound for the ratio of these two sizes is found. Finally, the comparison of the amplitudes of the gravitational wave modes in the distant future and past shows that, statistically (i.e., for large samples of universes), the difference in amplitude is enhanced for nearly homogeneous universes, whereas this difference vanishes in inhomogeneity dominated cases. The presented analysis constitutes the first systematic effective study of an inhomogeneous system within Loop Quantum Cosmology, and it proves the robustness of the results obtained for homogeneous cosmologies in this context.

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arXiv2010

Cosmic recall and the scattering picture of Loop Quantum Cosmology

The global dynamics of a homogeneous universe in Loop Quantum Cosmology is viewed as a scattering process of its geometrodynamical equivalent. This picture is applied to build a flexible (easy to generalize) and not restricted just to exactly solvable models method of verifying the preservation of the semiclassicality through the bounce. The devised method is next applied to two simple examples: (i) the isotropic Friedman Robertson Walker universe, and (ii) the isotropic sector of the Bianchi I model. For both of them we show, that the dispersions in the logarithm of the volume ln(v) and scalar field momentum ln(p_phi) in the distant future and past are related via strong triangle inequalities. This implies in particular a strict preservation of the semiclassicality (in considered degrees of freedom) in both the cases (i) and (ii). Derived inequalities are general: valid for all the physical states within the considered models.

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arXiv2009

The LQC evolution operator of FRW universe with positive cosmological constant

The self-adjointness of an evolution operator $Θ_Λ$ corresponding to the model of flat FRW universe with massless scalar field and cosmological constant quantized in the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology is studied in the case $Λ>0$. It is shown, that for $Λ<Λ_c\approx 10.3 \lPl^{-2}$ the operator admits many self-adjoint extensions, each of the purely discrete spectrum. On the other hand for $Λ\geqΛ_c$ the operator is essentially self-adjoint, however the physical Hilbert space of the model does not contain any physically interesting states.

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arXiv2009

Quantum constraints, Dirac observables and evolution: group averaging versus Schroedinger picture in LQC

A general quantum constraint of the form $C= - \partial_T^2 \otimes B - I\otimes H$ (realized in particular in Loop Quantum Cosmology models) is studied. Group Averaging is applied to define the Hilbert space of solutions and the relational Dirac observables. Two cases are considered. In the first case, the spectrum of the operator $(1/2)π^2 B - H$ is assumed to be discrete. The quantum theory defined by the constraint takes the form of a Schroedinger-like quantum mechanics with a generalized Hamiltonian $\sqrt{B^{-1} H}$. In the second case, the spectrum is absolutely continuous and some peculiar asymptotic properties of the eigenfunctions are assumed. The resulting Hilbert space and the dynamics are characterized by a continuous family of the Schroedinger-like quantum theories. However, the relational observables mix different members of the family. Our assumptions are motivated by new Loop Quantum Cosmology models of quantum FRW spacetime. The two cases considered in the paper correspond to the negative and, respectively, positive cosmological constant. Our results should be also applicable in many other general relativistic contexts.

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arXiv2009

Physical evolution in Loop Quantum Cosmology: The example of vacuum Bianchi I

We use the vacuum Bianchi I model as an example to investigate the concept of physical evolution in Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) in the absence of the massless scalar field which has been used so far in the literature as an internal time. In order to retrieve the system dynamics when no such a suitable clock field is present, we explore different constructions of families of unitarily related partial observables. These observables are parameterized, respectively, by: (i) one of the components of the densitized triad, and (ii) its conjugate momentum; each of them playing the role of an evolution parameter. Exploiting the properties of the considered example, we investigate in detail the domains of applicability of each construction. In both cases the observables possess a neat physical interpretation only in an approximate sense. However, whereas in case (i) such interpretation is reasonably accurate only for a portion of the evolution of the universe, in case (ii) it remains so during all the evolution (at least in the physically interesting cases). The constructed families of observables are next used to describe the evolution of the Bianchi I universe. The performed analysis confirms the robustness of the bounces, also in absence of matter fields, as well as the preservation of the semiclassicality through them. The concept of evolution studied here and the presented construction of observables are applicable to a wide class of models in LQC, including quantizations of the Bianchi I model obtained with other prescriptions for the improved dynamics.

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