Inhomogeneous quantum cosmology is modeled as a dynamical system of discrete patches, whose interacting many-body equations can be mapped to a non-linear minisuperspace equation by methods analogous to Bose-Einstein condensation. Complicated gravitational dynamics can therefore be described by more-manageable equations for finitely many degrees of freedom, for which powerful solution procedures are available, including effective equations. The specific form of non-linear and non-local equations suggests new questions for mathematical and computational investigations, and general properties of non-linear wave equations lead to several new options for physical effects and tests of the consistency of loop quantum gravity. In particular, our quantum cosmological methods show how sizeable quantum corrections in a low-curvature universe can arise from tiny local contributions adding up coherently in large regions.

20 pages