Quantum Cosmology

Understand

We give an introduction into quantum cosmology with emphasis on its conceptual parts.

• After a general motivation we review the formalism of canonical quantum gravity on which discussions of quantum cosmology are usually based.
• We then present the minisuperspace Wheeler--DeWitt equation and elaborate on the problem of time, the imposition of boundary conditions, the semiclassical approximation, the origin of irreversibility, and singularity avoidance.
• Restriction is made to the framework of quantum geometrodynamics.