Probability of inflation in Loop Quantum Cosmology

TL;DR

This paper investigates how initial conditions in Loop Quantum Cosmology affect the likelihood and duration of inflation, highlighting an attractor mechanism that leads to a specific inflationary period with about 140 e-foldings.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of an attractor in the contracting phase that determines inflation duration independently of initial conditions, contrasting with classical General Relativity.

Findings

Existence of an attractor in the contracting phase

Inflation duration is about 140 e-foldings

Inflation probability is influenced by the bounce dynamics

Abstract

We discuss how initial conditions for cosmological evolution can be defined in Loop Quantum Cosmology with massive scalar field and how the presence of the bounce influences the probability of inflation in this theory, compared with General Relativity. The main finding of the paper is existence of an attractor in the contracting phase of the universe, which results in special conditions at the bounce, quite independent on the measure of initial conditions in the remote past, and hence very specific duration of inflationary stage with the number of e-foldings about $140$.