Hybrid quantum Gowdy cosmology: Combining loop and Fock quantizations

We quantize an inhomogeneous cosmological model using techniques that include polymeric quantization. More explicitly, we construct well-defined operators to represent the constraints and find the physical Hilbert space formed by their solutions, which reproduces the conventional Fock quantization for the inhomogeneities. The initial singularity is resolved in this inhomogeneous model in an extremely simple way and without imposing special boundary conditions, thus ensuring the robustness and generality of this resolution. Furthermore, this quantization constitutes a well-founded step towards the extraction of physical results and consequences from loop quantum cosmology, given the central role of the inhomogeneities in modern cosmology.