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Numerical loop quantum cosmology: an overview. (English) Zbl 1260.83003

Summary: A brief review of various numerical techniques used in loop quantum cosmology and results is presented. These include the way extensive numerical simulations provided insights into the resolution of classical singularities, resulting in the key prediction of the bounce at the Planck scale in different models, and the numerical methods used to analyze the properties of the quantum difference operator and the von Neumann stability issues. Using the quantization of a massless scalar field in an isotropic spacetime as a template, an attempt is made to highlight the complementarity of different methods to gain understanding of the new physics emerging from the quantum theory. Open directions which need to be explored with more refined numerical methods are discussed.

MSC:

83-02 Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to relativity and gravitational theory
83C45 Quantization of the gravitational field
83F05 Relativistic cosmology
83-08 Computational methods for problems pertaining to relativity and gravitational theory
83C75 Space-time singularities, cosmic censorship, etc.