Dear Colleagues,

The appearance of spacetime singularities is generic to general relativity and is viewed as an indicator of the conditions under which the classical theory of gravity breaks down. Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is a finite, symmetry reduced model of loop quantum gravity (LQG) that is believed to eliminate big bang (and big crunch) singularities. LQC replaces a standard big bang singularity with a big bounce, wherein a preceding contracting universe avoids a singularity by the repulsive quantum effects of LQG that become strong for physics at the Planck scale. LQC has been a growing field since its birth around 1999. The proposal has matured significantly over 20-plus years. However, significant advancements are still appearing. This Special Issue of Universe is devoted to developments in the field over the last year. We invite you to submit to this Special Issue an original research or review article on any topic relevant to the field.

Topics of particular interest for this Special Issue include:

• symmetry reductions;
• minisuperspace construction of LQC models;
• consistent formalism construction;
• dynamics and evolution of LQC models;
• CMB predictions and observational signatures of LQC;
• LQC quantization; and
• bouncing versus non-bouncing LQC solutions.

Prof. Dr. Gerald Cleaver
Prof. Dr. Mairi Sakellariadou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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