(keynote speaker)
Contrasting Loop Quantum Cosmology with observations
The introduction of cosmological perturbations in cosmological models within Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) is a necessary step when working towards a falsifiable picture of the theory. In this talk I will review the physical predictions obtained when considering primordial cosmological perturbations in the context of LQC supplemented with inflation. One important question that we will analyze is the choice of initial conditions (or vacuum state) for the perturbations, reviewing how the different choices proposed within the LQC framework get along with observations. In particular, I will focus on recent results obtained when choosing as initial state for the perturbations the so-called Non-Oscillatory vacuum. It leads to a primordial power spectrum with exponential infrared suppression. The data shows a preference for some of the suppression to be within the observable window, alleviating in this way the lensing and power suppression anomalies of standard cosmology.