Group field theory condensate cosmology: An appetizer

Abstract

This contribution is an appetizer to the relatively young and fast-evolving approach to quantum cosmology based on group field theory condensate states. We summarize the main assumptions and pillars of this approach which has revealed new perspectives on the long-standing question of how to recover the continuum from discrete geometric building blocks. Among others, we give a snapshot of recent work on isotropic cosmological solutions exhibiting an accelerated expansion, a bounce where anisotropies are shown to be under control, and inhomogeneities with an approximately scale-invariant power spectrum. Finally, we point to open issues in the condensate cosmology approach.