Abstract. Homogeneous cosmological models with non-vanishing intrinsic curvature require a special treatment when they are quantized with loop quantum cosmological methods. Guidance from the full theory which is lost in this context can be replaced by two criteria for an acceptable quantization, admissibility of a continuum approximation and local stability. A quantization of the corresponding Hamiltonian constraints is presented and shown to lead to a locally stable, non-singular evolution compatible with almost classical behaviour at large volume. As an application, the Bianchi IX model and its modified behaviour close to its classical singularity is explored.

PACS numbers: 04.60.Pp, 04.60.Kz, 98.80.Hw

Print publication: Issue 4 (21 February 2004)
Received 4 November 2003
Published 27 January 2004