Big-bounce in quantum f(R)-cosmology: polymer dynamics with internal time

Abstract We construct the Hamiltonian formulation of the isotropic Universe in a generic metric f ( R )-theory in the Jordan frame. We canonically quantize the Universe volume via a polymer formulation, and we adopt the scalar field naturally arising from this scenario as a physical clock. Being within the limit of cut-off values of the space volume, we are legitimized to neglect, at first approximation level, the self-interacting potential term associated with the scalar field. We first study the semi-classical polymer dynamics, outlining the emergence of a bouncing cosmology, both in the internal as well as in the synchronous time. In this latter time variable, we are also able to compare the obtained picture with that of a standard polymer Big-Bounce. We see that in the studied case, the collapsing and expanding branches are no longer symmetric with respect to the minimum volume configuration. Then, we fully quantize the system dynamics in the momentum representation, constructing a suitable dynamical Hilbert space and setting up the dynamics of localized wave packets. The mean value dynamics, both for the momentum and volume spaces, is characterized by a bouncing dynamics as described via the internal time, which closely resembles that one obtained in Loop Quantum Cosmology and Polymerization, respectively.