On the cutoff scale identification of FLRW cosmology in asymptotically safe gravity

Abstract We examine Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology, incorporating quantum gravitational corrections through the functional renormalisation group flow of the effective action for gravity. We solve the Einstein equation with quantum improved coupling perturbatively including the case with non-vanishing classical cosmological constant (CC) which was overlooked in the literatures. We discuss what is the suitable identification of the momentum cutoff k with time scale, and find that the choice of the Hubble parameter is suitable for vanishing CC but not so for non-vanishing CC. We suggest suitable identification in this case. The energy-scale dependent running coupling breaks the time translation symmetry and then introduces a new physical scale.