Towards a Resolution of the Cosmological Singularity in Non-local Higher
  Derivative Theories of Gravity
  One of the greatest problems of standard cosmology is the Big Bang
singularity. Previously it has been shown that non-local ghostfree
higher-derivative modifications of Einstein gravity in the ultra-violet regime
can admit non-singular bouncing solutions. In this paper we study in more
details the dynamical properties of the equations of motion for these theories
of gravity in presence of positive and negative cosmological constants and
radiation. We find stable inflationary attractor solutions in the presence of a
positive cosmological constant which renders inflation {\it geodesically
complete}, while in the presence of a negative cosmological constant a cyclic
universe emerges. We also provide an algorithm for tracking the super-Hubble
perturbations during the bounce and show that the bouncing solutions are free
from any perturbative instability.
