title: How quantum is the big bang?
abstract: When quantum gravity is used to discuss the big bang singularity, the most important, though rarely addressed, question is what role genuine quantum degrees of freedom play. Here, complete effective equations are derived for isotropic models with an interacting scalar to all orders in the expansions involved. The resulting coupling terms show that quantum fluctuations do not affect the bounce much. Quantum correlations, however, do have an important role and could even eliminate the bounce. How quantum gravity regularizes the big bang depends crucially on properties of the quantum state.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, 104 Davey Lab, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA. bojowald@gravity.psu.edu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bojowald