Bouncing cosmology in f(R , G) gravity by order reduction

A bouncing universe is a viable candidate to solve the initial singularity problem. Here we consider bouncing solutions in the context of f(R , G) gravity by using an order reduction technique which allows one to find solutions that are perturbatively close to General Relativity. This procedure also acts as a model selection approach. Indeed, several covariant gravitational actions leading to a bounce are directly selected by demanding that the Friedmann equation derived within such gravity theories coincides with the one emerging from Loop Quantum Cosmology.