Group field cosmology: a cosmological field theory of quantum geometry

Following the idea of a field quantization of gravity as realized in group field theory, we construct a minisuperspace model where the wavefunction of canonical quantum cosmology (either Wheeler-DeWitt or loop quantum cosmology) is promoted to a field, the coordinates are minisuperspace variables, the kinetic operator is the Hamiltonian constraint operator, and the action features a nonlinear and possibly nonlocal interaction term. We discuss free-field classical solutions, the quantum propagator, and a mean-field approximation linearizing the equation of motion and augmenting the Hamiltonian constraint by an effective term mixing gravitational and matter variables. Depending on the choice of interaction, this can reproduce, for example, a cosmological constant, a scalar-field potential, or a curvature contribution.