Loop quantum gravity is one of the main candidates for a theory of quantum gravity and basically a canonical quantization of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Although promising results such as the discrete spectra of volume and area operator exist, loop quantum gravity is not complete, e.g., concerning the investigation of the quantum dynamics. One strategy is to test the developed quantization techniques by applying them to toy models yielding peculiar results such as the resolution of the big bang singularity. With such finite-dimensional models being well-studied, the next step is to consider toy models with an infinite number of degrees of freedom, i.e., field theories. The so-called Gowdy model is an example for these kinds of toy models, whose quantum dynamics will be discussed in this talk.
Host: M. Aspelmeyer