Lectures on Quantum Cosmology

The problems encountered in trying to quantize the various cosmological models, are brought forward by means of a concrete example. The Automorphism groups are revealed as the key element through which G.C.T.'s can be used for a general treatment of these problems. At the classical level, the time dependent automorphisms lead to significant simplifications of the line element for the generic spatially homogeneous geometry, without loss of generality. At the quantum level, the ''frozen'' automorphisms entail an important reduction of the configuration space --spanned by the 6 components of the scale factor matrix-- on which the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, is to be based. In this spirit the canonical quantization of the most general minisuperspace actions --i.e. with all six scale factor as well as the lapse function and the shift vector present-- describing the vacuum type II, I geometries, is considered. The reduction to the corresponding physical degrees of freedom is achieved through the usage of the linear constraints as well as the quantum version of the entire set of all classical integrals of motion.