What are the best resources for studying Quantum Cosmology?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on resources for studying Quantum Cosmology (QC), highlighting foundational texts and key authors in the field. Participants recommend starting with "General Relativity" by Wald and "A First Course in General Relativity," alongside "Gravitation" by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (MTW). For QC literature, significant figures include John Archibald Wheeler, Bryce DeWitt, Stephen Hawking, and James Hartle, with Alex Vilenkin noted for his contributions to eternal inflation and multiverse theories.

PREREQUISITES
  • General Relativity (GR) knowledge, particularly through Wald's textbook
  • Quantum Mechanics (QM) understanding
  • Familiarity with Quantum Field Theory (QFT)
  • Basic concepts of measure theory and differential geometry (DG)
NEXT STEPS
  • Read "Quantum Cosmology" articles by John Archibald Wheeler and Bryce DeWitt
  • Explore Stephen Hawking's works on black holes and cosmology
  • Investigate Alex Vilenkin's research on eternal inflation and the multiverse
  • Study "Gravitation" by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler for advanced GR concepts
USEFUL FOR

Students and researchers in theoretical physics, particularly those focusing on Quantum Cosmology, General Relativity, and Quantum Field Theory.

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OK, I have a plan to learn this summer after all of my exams will end, some subjects in physics and maths (GR,QFT, measure theory,DG and some random matrix theory, not sure if this plan is tangible, I'll try), so for GR I think of using Wald's and A First course in GR, maybe I'll also look at MTW (which is gaining some dust in my desk since I purchased it... (-:), so I wonder the next step would be to read alongside some cosmology textbooks and naturally comes QC, but in this regard I am quite not sure what literature to use here (maybe not in this summer but the next), any guide as to good articles to search for?

I have seen there aren't specific textbooks on QC, I guess if I want to start in this I need to search for articles of people such as Wheeler, DeWitt, Hawking, Hartle; Any other names I should be at the look out?

Any reading tips on literature in Quantum Cosmology? obviously I have a good grasp of QM (not yet of QFT).
 
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Alex Vilenkin did some good early work on quantum cosmology. Recently, he's worked mostly on eternal inflation and putting a measure on the multiverse -- related but more modern concepts.
 

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