Cosmological perturbations in the new Higgs inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Germani, Cristiano [Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Theresienstr, 37 80333 Muenchen (Germany); Kehagias, Alex, E-mail: cristiano.germani@lmu.de, E-mail: kehagias@central.ntua.gr [Physics Division, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Zografou Campus, Athens (Greece)

2010-05-01

We study the cosmological perturbations created during the New Higgs inflationary phase. In the New Higgs Inflation, the Higgs boson is kinetically coupled to the Einstein tensor and only three perturbative degrees of freedom, a scalar and two tensorial (gravitational waves), propagate during Inflation. Scalar perturbations are found to match the latest WMAP-7yrs data within Standard Model Higgs parameters. Primordial gravitational waves also, although propagating with superluminal speed, are consistent with present data. Finally, we estimate the values of the parameter of the New Higgs Inflation in relation to the Higgs mass, the spectral index and amplitude of the primordial scalar perturbations showing that the unitarity bound of the theory is not violated.

Degravitation, inflation and the cosmological constant as an afterglow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patil, Subodh P.

2009-01-01

In this report, we adopt the phenomenological approach of taking the degravitation paradigm seriously as a consistent modification of gravity in the IR, and investigate its consequences for various cosmological situations. We motivate degravitation — where Netwon's constant is promoted to a scale dependent filter function — as arising from either a small (resonant) mass for the graviton, or as an effect in semi-classical gravity. After addressing how the Bianchi identities are to be satisfied in such a set up, we turn our attention towards the cosmological consequences of degravitation. By considering the example filter function corresponding to a resonantly massive graviton (with a filter scale larger than the present horizon scale), we show that slow roll inflation, hybrid inflation and old inflation remain quantitatively unchanged. We also find that the degravitation mechanism inherits a memory of past energy densities in the present epoch in such a way that is likely significant for present cosmological evolution. For example, if the universe underwent inflation in the past due to it having tunneled out of some false vacuum, we find that degravitation implies a remnant 'afterglow' cosmological constant, whose scale immediately afterwards is parametrically suppressed by the filter scale (L) in Planck units Λ ∼ l 2 pl /L 2 . We discuss circumstances through which this scenario reasonably yields the presently observed value for Λ ∼ O(10 −120 ). We also find that in a universe still currently trapped in some false vacuum state, resonance graviton models of degravitation only degravitate initially Planck or GUT scale energy densities down to the presently observed value over timescales comparable to the filter scale. We argue that different functional forms for the filter function will yield similar conclusions. In this way, we argue that although the degravitation models we study have the potential to explain why the cosmological constant is not large

Cosmology as Science?: From Inflation to Eternity

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2009-01-01

The last decade or two have represented the golden age of observational cosmology, producing a revolution in our picture of the Universe on its largest scales, and perhaps also its smallest ones. I will argue that these recent development bring to the forefront some vexing questions about whether various fundamental assumptions about the universe are in fact falsifiable. I will focus on 3 issues: (1) "Proving" Inflation, (2) Dark Energy and Anthropic Arguments, and (3) Cosmology of the far future.Interview with Lawrence M. Krauss

An introduction to cosmological inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liddle, A.R.

1999-01-01

An introductory account is given of the inflationary cosmology, which postulates a period of accelerated expansion during the Universe's earliest stages. The historical motivation is briefly outlined, and the modelling of the inflationary epoch explained. The most important aspect of inflation is that it provides a possible model for the origin of structure in the Universe, and key results are reviewed, along with a discussion of the current observational situation and outlook. (author)

Non-minimal Higgs inflation and frame dependence in cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinwachs, Christian F.; Kamenshchik, Alexander Yu.

2013-01-01

We investigate a very general class of cosmological models with scalar fields non-minimally coupled to gravity. A particular representative in this class is given by the non-minimal Higgs inflation model in which the Standard Model Higgs boson and the inflaton are described by one and the same scalar particle. While the predictions of the non-minimal Higgs inflation scenario come numerically remarkably close to the recently discovered mass of the Higgs boson, there remains a conceptual problem in this model that is associated with the choice of the cosmological frame. While the classical theory is independent of this choice, we find by an explicit calculation that already the first quantum corrections induce a frame dependence. We give a geometrical explanation of this frame dependence by embedding it into a more general field theoretical context. From this analysis, some conceptional points in the long lasting cosmological debate: 'Jordan frame vs. Einstein frame' become more transparent and in principle can be resolved in a natural way.

Inflation and dark energy from three-forms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koivisto, Tomi S.; Nunes, Nelson J.

2009-01-01

Three-forms can give rise to viable cosmological scenarios of inflation and dark energy with potentially observable signatures distinct from standard single scalar field models. In this study, the background dynamics and linear perturbations of self-interacting three-form cosmology are investigated. The phase space of cosmological solutions possesses (super)-inflating attractors and saddle points, which can describe three-form driven inflation or dark energy. The quantum generation and the classical evolution of perturbations is considered. The scalar and tensor spectra from a three-form inflation and the impact from the presence of a three-form on matter perturbations are computed. Stability properties and equivalence of the model with alternative formulations are discussed.

Effect of reheating on predictions following multiple-field inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Hotinli, Selim C.; Frazer, Jonathan; Jaffe, Andrew H.; Meyers, Joel; Price, Layne C.; Tarrant, Ewan R. M.

2018-01-01

We study the sensitivity of cosmological observables to the reheating phase following inflation driven by many scalar fields. We describe a method which allows semianalytic treatment of the impact of perturbative reheating on cosmological perturbations using the sudden decay approximation. Focusing on N -quadratic inflation, we show how the scalar spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio are affected by the rates at which the scalar fields decay into radiation. We find that for certain choices of decay rates, reheating following multiple-field inflation can have a significant impact on the prediction of cosmological observables.

Inflation and cosmological parameter estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamann, J.

2007-05-15

In this work, we focus on two aspects of cosmological data analysis: inference of parameter values and the search for new effects in the inflationary sector. Constraints on cosmological parameters are commonly derived under the assumption of a minimal model. We point out that this procedure systematically underestimates errors and possibly biases estimates, due to overly restrictive assumptions. In a more conservative approach, we analyse cosmological data using a more general eleven-parameter model. We find that regions of the parameter space that were previously thought ruled out are still compatible with the data; the bounds on individual parameters are relaxed by up to a factor of two, compared to the results for the minimal six-parameter model. Moreover, we analyse a class of inflation models, in which the slow roll conditions are briefly violated, due to a step in the potential. We show that the presence of a step generically leads to an oscillating spectrum and perform a fit to CMB and galaxy clustering data. We do not find conclusive evidence for a step in the potential and derive strong bounds on quantities that parameterise the step. (orig.)

Non-minimal Higgs inflation and frame dependence in cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinwachs, Christian F. [School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Kamenshchik, Alexander Yu. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy and L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kosygin str. 2, 119334 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2013-02-21

We investigate a very general class of cosmological models with scalar fields non-minimally coupled to gravity. A particular representative in this class is given by the non-minimal Higgs inflation model in which the Standard Model Higgs boson and the inflaton are described by one and the same scalar particle. While the predictions of the non-minimal Higgs inflation scenario come numerically remarkably close to the recently discovered mass of the Higgs boson, there remains a conceptual problem in this model that is associated with the choice of the cosmological frame. While the classical theory is independent of this choice, we find by an explicit calculation that already the first quantum corrections induce a frame dependence. We give a geometrical explanation of this frame dependence by embedding it into a more general field theoretical context. From this analysis, some conceptional points in the long lasting cosmological debate: 'Jordan frame vs. Einstein frame' become more transparent and in principle can be resolved in a natural way.

Simple cosmological model with inflation and late times acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Szydłowski, Marek; Stachowski, Aleksander

2018-03-01

In the framework of polynomial Palatini cosmology, we investigate a simple cosmological homogeneous and isotropic model with matter in the Einstein frame. We show that in this model during cosmic evolution, early inflation appears and the accelerating phase of the expansion for the late times. In this frame we obtain the Friedmann equation with matter and dark energy in the form of a scalar field with a potential whose form is determined in a covariant way by the Ricci scalar of the FRW metric. The energy density of matter and dark energy are also parameterized through the Ricci scalar. Early inflation is obtained only for an infinitesimally small fraction of energy density of matter. Between the matter and dark energy, there exists an interaction because the dark energy is decaying. For the characterization of inflation we calculate the slow roll parameters and the constant roll parameter in terms of the Ricci scalar. We have found a characteristic behavior of the time dependence of density of dark energy on the cosmic time following the logistic-like curve which interpolates two almost constant value phases. From the required numbers of N-folds we have found a bound on the model parameter.

String cosmology. Large-field inflation in string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westphal, Alexander

2014-09-01

This is a short review of string cosmology. We wish to connect string-scale physics as closely as possible to observables accessible to current or near-future experiments. Our possible best hope to do so is a description of inflation in string theory. The energy scale of inflation can be as high as that of Grand Unification (GUT). If this is the case, this is the closest we can possibly get in energy scales to string-scale physics. Hence, GUT-scale inflation may be our best candidate phenomenon to preserve traces of string-scale dynamics. Our chance to look for such traces is the primordial gravitational wave, or tensor mode signal produced during inflation. For GUT-scale inflation this is strong enough to be potentially visible as a B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Moreover, a GUT-scale inflation model has a trans-Planckian excursion of the inflaton scalar field during the observable amount of inflation. Such large-field models of inflation have a clear need for symmetry protection against quantum corrections. This makes them ideal candidates for a description in a candidate fundamental theory like string theory. At the same time the need of large-field inflation models for UV completion makes them particularly susceptible to preserve imprints of their string-scale dynamics in the inflationary observables, the spectral index n s and the fractional tensor mode power r. Hence, we focus this review on axion monodromy inflation as a mechanism of large-field inflation in string theory.

How robust are inflation model and dark matter constraints from cosmological data?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hamann, Jan; Hannestad, Steen; Sloth, Martin Snoager

2006-01-01

the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and the neutrino mass prevents lambda phi^4 from being excluded by present data. Reversing the argument, if lambda phi^4 is the correct model of inflation, it predicts a sum of neutrino masses at 0.3-0.5 eV, a range compatible with present experimental limits and within the reach......High-precision data from observation of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale structure of the universe provide very tight constraints on the effective parameters that describe cosmological inflation. Indeed, within a constrained class of LambdaCDM models, the simple lambda phi^4...... chaotic inflation model already appears to be ruled out by cosmological data. In this paper, we compute constraints on inflationary parameters within a more general framework that includes other physically motivated parameters such as a nonzero neutrino mass. We find that a strong degeneracy between...

Brane-world cosmology and inflation

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This brane-world scenario is quite attractive because of the non-trivial geometry in the bulk and because it successfully gives four-dimensional general relativity in the low energy limit. After reviewing basic features of the RS2 scenario, we consider a brane-world inflation model driven by the dynamics of a scalar field living ...

Measure problem in slow roll inflation and loop quantum cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corichi, Alejandro; Karami, Asieh

2011-01-01

We consider the measure problem in standard slow-roll inflationary models from the perspective of loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Following recent results by Ashtekar and Sloan, we study the probability of having enough e-foldings and focus on its dependence on the quantum gravity scale, including the transition of the theory to the limit where general relativity (GR) is recovered. Contrary to the standard expectation, the probability of having enough inflation, that is close to 1 in LQC, grows and tends to 1 as one approaches the GR limit. We study the origin of the tension between these results with those by Gibbons and Turok, and offer an explanation that brings these apparent contradictory results into a coherent picture. As we show, the conflicting results stem from different choices of initial conditions for the computation of probability. The singularity-free scenario of loop quantum cosmology offers a natural choice of initial conditions, and suggests that enough inflation is generic.

Cosmological attractors and anisotropies in two measure theories, effective EYMH systems, and off-diagonal inflation models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajpoot, Subhash [California State University, Long Beach, CA (United States); Vacaru, Sergiu I. [Quantum Gravity Research, Topanga, CA (United States); University ' ' Al.I. Cuza' ' , Project IDEI, Iasi (Romania)

2017-05-15

Applying the anholonomic frame deformation method, we construct various classes of cosmological solutions for effective Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs, and two measure theories. The types of models considered are Freedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker, Bianchi, Kasner and models with attractor configurations. The various regimes pertaining to plateau-type inflation, quadratic inflation, Starobinsky type and Higgs type inflation are presented. (orig.)

Tunneling in cosmology and isothermal inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brout, R.; Spindel, P.

1991-01-01

The wave function for the universe, as proposed by Hartle and Hawking, experiences tunneling for small values of the radius of the universe. This induces thermal effects and so a hot big bang. We first give a detailed analysis of the observer accelerating in Minkowski space in terms of the tunneling of his wave function beyond his turning point. Applied to cosmology one finds a temperature at the big bang equal to the Gibbons-Hawking value. The residual thermal effects which result in an isothermal inflationary expansion give rise to a renormalized self-consistently determined Hubble constant (and hence Gibbons-Hawking temperature) through the trace anomaly. A thermodynamic interpretation is given. These results militate against phase transitions as a motor for inflation. (orig.)

Stable bounce and inflation in non-local higher derivative cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Tirthabir; Koshelev, Alexey S.; Mazumdar, Anupam; Vernov, Sergey Yu.

2012-01-01

One of the greatest problems of primordial inflation is that the inflationary space-time is past-incomplete. This is mainly because Einstein's GR suffers from a space-like Big Bang singularity. It has recently been shown that ghost-free, non-local higher-derivative ultra-violet modifications of Einstein's gravity may be able to resolve the cosmological Big Bang singularity via a non-singular bounce. Within the framework of such non-local cosmological models, we are going to study both sub- and super-Hubble perturbations around an inflationary trajectory which is preceded by the Big Bounce in the past, and demonstrate that the inflationary trajectory has an ultra-violet completion and that perturbations do not suffer from any pathologies

Cauchy horizon stability and mass inflation with a cosmological constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, João L; Girão, Pedro M; Natário, José; Silva, Jorge Drumond

2015-01-01

Motivated by the strong cosmic censorship conjecture, we consider the Einstein- Maxwell-scalar field system with a cosmological constant Λ (of any sign), under spherical symmetry, for characteristic initial conditions, with outgoing data prescribed by a (complete) subextremal Reissner-Nordstrom black hole event horizon. We study the structure of the future maximal (globally hyperbolic) development, analyze the mass inflation scenarios, identifying, in particular, large choices of parameters for which the Hawking mass remains bounded, and study the existence of regular extensions. We also discuss why our results, although valid for all signs of Λ, only provide evidence for the failure of strong cosmic censorship in the case of a positive cosmological constant. (paper)

Cosmology with torsion: An alternative to cosmic inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poplawski, Nikodem J.

2010-01-01

We propose a simple scenario which explains why our Universe appears spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic. We use the Einstein-Cartan-Kibble-Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity which naturally extends general relativity to include the spin of matter. The torsion of spacetime generates gravitational repulsion in the early Universe filled with quarks and leptons, preventing the cosmological singularity: the Universe expands from a state of minimum but finite radius. We show that the dynamics of the closed Universe immediately after this state naturally solves the flatness and horizon problems in cosmology because of an extremely small and negative torsion density parameter, Ω S ∼-10 -69 . Thus the ECKS gravity provides a compelling alternative to speculative mechanisms of standard cosmic inflation. This scenario also suggests that the contraction of our Universe preceding the bounce at the minimum radius may correspond to the dynamics of matter inside a collapsing black hole existing in another universe, which could explain the origin of the Big Bang.

The fissioning universe: Topological inflation and Kaluza-Klein cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaku, Michio; Lykken, J.

1986-01-01

We propose a Kaluza-Klein cosmology by reversing the usual scenario: instead of starting with a flat 4+N dimensional universe in which N of the dimensions curl up into a compact manifold, we start with a compact 3+N dimensional manifold in which 3 of the dimensions are allowed to peel off and expand into the known universe. We reverse the usual ''spontaneous compactification'' scenario begin with a closed manifold Msup(3+N) which undergoes ''spontaneous fissioning'' into a product manifold M 3 xMsup(N). Remarkably, the 3-dimensional universe M 3 can undergo a rapid de Sitter expansion large enough to solve the horizon and flatness problem. We call this ''topological inflation'', which we propose as an alternative to the usual GUT inflation. The inflationary phase automatically terminates into a big bang phase. (orig.)

Generic analysis of kinetically driven inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Saitou, Rio

2018-04-01

We perform a model-independent analysis of kinetically driven inflation (KDI) which (partially) includes generalized G-inflation and ghost inflation. We evaluate the background evolution splitting into the inflationary attractor and the perturbation around it. We also consider the quantum fluctuation of the scalar mode with a usual scaling and derive the spectral index, ignoring the contribution from the second-order products of slow-roll parameters. Using these formalisms, we find that within our generic framework the models of KDI which possess the shift symmetry of scalar field cannot create the quantum fluctuation consistent with the observation. Breaking the shift symmetry, we obtain a few essential conditions for viable models of KDI associated with the graceful exit.

Landscape predictions from cosmological vacuum selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bousso, Raphael; Bousso, Raphael; Yang, Sheng

2007-04-23

In Bousso-Polchinski models with hundreds of fluxes, we compute the effects of cosmological dynamics on the probability distribution of landscape vacua. Starting from generic initial conditions, we find that most fluxes are dynamically driven into a different and much narrower range of values than expected from landscape statistics alone. Hence, cosmological evolution will access only a tiny fraction of the vacua with small cosmological constant. This leads to a host of sharp predictions. Unlike other approaches to eternal inflation, the holographic measure employed here does not lead to staggering, an excessive spread of probabilities that would doom the string landscape as a solution to the cosmological constant problem.

Landscape predictions from cosmological vacuum selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bousso, Raphael; Yang, I-S.

2007-01-01

In Bousso-Polchinski models with hundreds of fluxes, we compute the effects of cosmological dynamics on the probability distribution of landscape vacua. Starting from generic initial conditions, we find that most fluxes are dynamically driven into a different and much narrower range of values than expected from landscape statistics alone. Hence, cosmological evolution will access only a tiny fraction of the vacua with small cosmological constant. This leads to a host of sharp predictions. Unlike other approaches to eternal inflation, the holographic measure employed here does not lead to staggering, an excessive spread of probabilities that would doom the string landscape as a solution to the cosmological constant problem

Axions in inflationary cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linde, A.

1991-01-01

The problem of the cosmological constraints on the axion mass is re-examined. It is argued that in the context of inflationary cosmology the constraint m a > or approx.10 -5 eV can be avoided even when the axion perturbations produced during inflation are taken into account. It is shown also that in most axion models the effective parameter f a rapidly changes during inflation. This modifies some earlier statements concerning isothermal perturbations in the axion cosmology. A hybrid inflation scenario is proposed which combines some advantages of chaotic inflation with specific features of new and/or extended inflation. Its implications for the axion cosmology are discussed. (orig.)

How robust are inflation model and dark matter constraints from cosmological data?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamann, J.; Hannestad, S.; Sloth, M.S.; Wong, Y.Y.Y.

2006-11-01

High-precision data from observation of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale structure of the universe provide very tight constraints on the effective parameters that describe cosmological inflation. Indeed, within a constrained class of ΛCDM models, the simple λφ 4 chaotic inflation model already appears to be ruled out by cosmological data. In this paper, we compute constraints on inflationary parameters within a more general framework that includes other physically motivated parameters such as a nonzero neutrino mass. We find that a strong degeneracy between the tensor-to-scalar ratio τ and the neutrino mass prevents λφ 4 from being excluded by present data. Reversing the argument, if λφ 4 is the correct model of inflation, it predicts a sum of neutrino masses at 0.3→0.5 eV, a range compatible with present experimental limits and within the reach of the next generation of neutrino mass measurements. We also discuss the associated constraints on the dark matter density, the dark energy equation of state, and spatial curvature, and show that the allowed regions are significantly altered. Importantly, we find an allowed range of 0.094 c h 2 <0.136 for the dark matter density, a factor of two larger than that reported in previous studies. This expanded parameter space may have implications for constraints on SUSY dark matter models. (orig.)

Starobinsky-Like Inflation in Dilaton-Brane Cosmology

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V

2014-01-01

We discuss how Starobinsky-like inflation may emerge from dilaton dynamics in brane cosmology scenarios based on string theory, in which our universe is represented as a three-brane. The effective potential may acquire a constant term from a density of effectively point-like non-pertubative defects on the brane. Higher-genus corrections generate corrections to the effective potential that are exponentially damped at large field values, as in the Starobinsky model, but at a faster rate, leading to a smaller prediction for the tensor-to scalar perturbation ratio r. This may be compensated partially by logarithmic deformations on the world-sheet due to recoil of the defects due to scattering by string matter on the brane, which tend to enhance the tensor-to-scalar ratio.

Brane inflation: A field theory approach in background supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudhury, Sayantan; Pal, Supratik

2012-01-01

We propose a model of inflation in the framework of brane cosmology driven by background supergravity. Starting from bulk supergravity we construct the inflaton potential on the brane and employ it to investigate for the consequences to inflationary paradigm. To this end, we derive the expressions for the important parameters in brane inflation, which are somewhat different from their counterparts in standard cosmology, using the one loop radiative corrected potential. We further estimate the observable parameters and find them to fit well with recent observational data. We have studied extensively reheating phenomenology, which explains the thermal history of the universe and leptogenesis through the production of thermal gravitino pertaining to the particle physics phenomenology of the early universe.

Big Bang, inflation, standard Physics… and the potentialities of new Physics and alternative cosmologies. Present statuts of observational and experimental Cosmology. Open questions and potentialities of alternative cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez-Mestres, Luis

2016-01-01

A year ago, we wrote [1] that the field of Cosmology was undergoing a positive and constructive crisis. The possible development of more direct links between the Mathematical Physics aspects of cosmological patterns and the interpretation of experimental and observational results was particularly emphasized. Controversies on inflation are not really new, but in any case inflation is not required in pre-Big Bang models and the validity of the standard Big Bang + inflation + ΛCDM pattern has not by now been demonstrated by data. Planck has even explicitly reported the existence of “anomalies”. Remembering the far-reaching work of Yoichiro Nambu published in 1959-61, it seems legitimate to underline the need for a cross-disciplinary approach in the presence of deep, unsolved theoretical problems concerning new domains of matter properties and of the physical world. The physics of a possible preonic vacuum and the associated cosmology constitute one of these domains. If the vacuum is made of superluminal preons (superbradyons), and if standard particles are vacuum excitations, how to build a suitable theory to describe the internal structure of such a vacuum at both local and cosmic level? Experimental programs (South Pole, Atacama, AUGER, Telescope Array…) and observational ones (Planck, JEM-EUSO…) devoted to the study of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) and of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) are crucial to elucidate such theoretical interrogations and guide new phenomenological developments. Together with a brief review of the observational and experimental situation, we also examine the main present theoretical and phenomenological problems and point out the role new physics and alternative cosmologies can potentially play. The need for data analyses less focused a priori on the standard models of Particle Physics and Cosmology is emphasized in this discussion. An example of a new approach to both fields is provided by the pre-Big Bang

Big Bang, inflation, standard Physics… and the potentialities of new Physics and alternative cosmologies. Present statuts of observational and experimental Cosmology. Open questions and potentialities of alternative cosmologies

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Mestres, Luis

2016-11-01

A year ago, we wrote [1] that the field of Cosmology was undergoing a positive and constructive crisis. The possible development of more direct links between the Mathematical Physics aspects of cosmological patterns and the interpretation of experimental and observational results was particularly emphasized. Controversies on inflation are not really new, but in any case inflation is not required in pre-Big Bang models and the validity of the standard Big Bang + inflation + ΛCDM pattern has not by now been demonstrated by data. Planck has even explicitly reported the existence of "anomalies". Remembering the far-reaching work of Yoichiro Nambu published in 1959-61, it seems legitimate to underline the need for a cross-disciplinary approach in the presence of deep, unsolved theoretical problems concerning new domains of matter properties and of the physical world. The physics of a possible preonic vacuum and the associated cosmology constitute one of these domains. If the vacuum is made of superluminal preons (superbradyons), and if standard particles are vacuum excitations, how to build a suitable theory to describe the internal structure of such a vacuum at both local and cosmic level? Experimental programs (South Pole, Atacama, AUGER, Telescope Array…) and observational ones (Planck, JEM-EUSO…) devoted to the study of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) and of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) are crucial to elucidate such theoretical interrogations and guide new phenomenological developments. Together with a brief review of the observational and experimental situation, we also examine the main present theoretical and phenomenological problems and point out the role new physics and alternative cosmologies can potentially play. The need for data analyses less focused a priori on the standard models of Particle Physics and Cosmology is emphasized in this discussion. An example of a new approach to both fields is provided by the pre-Big Bang pattern

Sneutrino driven GUT inflation in supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Heurtier, Lucien; Moursy, Ahmad

2017-01-01

In this paper, we embed the model of flipped GUT sneutrino inflation — in a flipped SU(5) or SO(10) set up — developed by Ellis et al. in a supergravity framework. The GUT symmetry is broken by a waterfall which could happen at early or late stage of the inflationary period. The full field dynamics is thus studied in detail and these two main inflationary configurations are exposed, whose cosmological predictions are both in agreement with recent astrophysical measurements. The model has an interesting feature where the inflaton has natural decay channels to the MSSM particles allowed by the GUT gauge symmetry. Hence it can account for the reheating after the inflationary epoch.

Sneutrino driven GUT inflation in supergravity

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Heurtier, Lucien; Moursy, Ahmad

2017-06-01

In this paper, we embed the model of flipped GUT sneutrino inflation — in a flipped SU(5) or SO(10) set up — developed by Ellis et al. in a supergravity framework. The GUT symmetry is broken by a waterfall which could happen at early or late stage of the inflationary period. The full field dynamics is thus studied in detail and these two main inflationary configurations are exposed, whose cosmological predictions are both in agreement with recent astrophysical measurements. The model has an interesting feature where the inflaton has natural decay channels to the MSSM particles allowed by the GUT gauge symmetry. Hence it can account for the reheating after the inflationary epoch.

Bubble nucleation in first-order inflation and other cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Weinberg, E.J.; Widrow, L.M.

1992-01-01

We address in some detail the kinematics of bubble nucleation and percolation in first-order cosmological phase transitions, with the primary focus on first-order inflation. We study how a first-order phase transition completes, describe measures of its progress, and compute the distribution of bubble sizes. For example, we find that the typical bubble size in a successful transition is of order 1% to 100% of the Hubble radius, and depends very weakly on the energy scale of the transition. We derive very general conditions that must be satisfied by Γ/H 4 to complete the phase transition (Γ=bubble nucleation rate per unit volume; H=expansion rate; physically, Γ/H 4 corresponds to the volume fraction of space occupied by bubbles nucleated over a Hubble time). In particular, Γ/H 4 must exceed 9/4π to successfully end inflation. To avoid the deleterious effects of bubbles nucleated early during inflation on primordial nucleosynthesis and on the isotropy and spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation, during most of inflation Γ/H 4 must be less than order 10 -4 --10 -3 . Our constraints imply that in a successful model of first-order inflation the phase transition must complete over a period of at most a few Hubble times and all but preclude individual bubbles from providing an interesting source of density perturbation. We note, though, that it is just possible for Poisson fluctuations in the number of moderately large-size bubbles to lead to interesting isocurvature perturbations, whose spectrum is not scale invariant. Finally, we analyze in detail several recently proposed models of first-order inflation

Superhorizon curvaton amplitude in inflation and pre-big bang cosmology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Martin Snoager

2002-01-01

We follow the evolution of the curvaton on superhorizon scales and check that the spectral tilt of the curvaton perturbations is unchanged as the curvaton becomes non-relativistic. Both inflation and pre-big bang cosmology can be treated since the curvaton mechanism within the two scenarios works...... the same way. We also discuss the amplitude of the density perturbations, which leads to some interesting constrains on the pre-big bang scenario. It is shown that within a SL(3,R) non-linear sigma model one of the three axions has the right coupling to the dilaton and moduli to yield a flat spectrum...

End of multifield inflation and the perturbation spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, Jinn-Ouk

2007-01-01

We investigate the dynamics of inflation models driven by multiple, decoupled scalar fields and calculate the Hubble parameter and the amplitude of the lightest field at the end of inflation which may be responsible for interesting, or possibly dangerous cosmological consequences after inflation. The results are very simple and similar to those of the single field inflation, mainly depending on the underlying spectrum of the masses. The mass distribution is heavily constrained by the power spectrum of density perturbations P and the spectral index n s . The overall mass scale gives the amplitude of P, and n s is affected by the number of fields and the spacing between masses in the distribution. The dropout effect of the massive fields makes the perturbation spectrum typically redder than the single field inflation spectrum. We illustrate this using two different mass distributions

Brane cosmology with curvature corrections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kofinas, Georgios; Maartens, Roy; Papantonopoulos, Eleftherios

2003-01-01

We study the cosmology of the Randall-Sundrum brane-world where the Einstein-Hilbert action is modified by curvature correction terms: a four-dimensional scalar curvature from induced gravity on the brane, and a five-dimensional Gauss-Bonnet curvature term. The combined effect of these curvature corrections to the action removes the infinite-density big bang singularity, although the curvature can still diverge for some parameter values. A radiation brane undergoes accelerated expansion near the minimal scale factor, for a range of parameters. This acceleration is driven by the geometric effects, without an inflation field or negative pressures. At late times, conventional cosmology is recovered. (author)

Perspectives in cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vilenkin, Alexander

2010-01-01

The n ew standard cosmology , based on the theory of inflation, has very impressive observational support. I review some outstanding problems of the new cosmology and the global view of the universe - the multiverse - that it suggests. I focus in particular on prospects for further observational tests of inflation and of the multiverse.

Perspectives in cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vilenkin, Alexander, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.ed [Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 (United States)

2010-01-01

The 'new standard cosmology', based on the theory of inflation, has very impressive observational support. I review some outstanding problems of the new cosmology and the global view of the universe - the multiverse - that it suggests. I focus in particular on prospects for further observational tests of inflation and of the multiverse.

Fate of classical tensor inhomogeneities in pre-big-bang string cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonanno, Alessandra; Damour, Thibault

2001-01-01

In pre-big-bang string cosmology one uses a phase of dilaton-driven inflation to stretch an initial (microscopic) spatial patch to the (much larger) size of the big-bang fireball. We show that the dilaton-driven inflationary phase does not naturally iron out the initial classical tensor inhomogeneities unless the initial value of the string coupling is smaller than g in ∼ -35

Hybrid Inflation: Multi-field Dynamics and Cosmological Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Clesse, Sébastien

2011-09-01

The dynamics of hybrid models is usually approximated by the evolution of a scalar field slowly rolling along a nearly flat valley. Inflation ends with a waterfall phase, due to a tachyonic instability. This final phase is usually assumed to be nearly instantaneous. In this thesis, we go beyond these approximations and analyze the exact 2-field dynamics of hybrid models. Several effects are put in evidence: 1) the possible slow-roll violations along the valley induce the non existence of inflation at small field values. Provided super-planckian fields, the scalar spectrum of the original model is red, in agreement with observations. 2) The initial field values are not fine-tuned along the valley but also occupy a considerable part of the field space exterior to it. They form a structure with fractal boundaries. Using bayesian methods, their distribution in the whole parameter space is studied. Natural bounds on the potential parameters are derived. 3) For the original model, inflation is found to continue for more than 60 e-folds along waterfall trajectories in some part of the parameter space. The scalar power spectrum of adiabatic perturbations is modified and is generically red, possibly in agreement with CMB observations. Topological defects are conveniently stretched outside the observable Universe. 4) The analysis of the initial conditions is extended to the case of a closed Universe, in which the initial singularity is replaced by a classical bounce. In the third part of the thesis, we study how the present CMB constraints on the cosmological parameters could be ameliorated with the observation of the 21cm cosmic background, by future giant radio-telescopes. Forecasts are determined for a characteristic Fast Fourier Transform Telescope, by using both Fisher matrix and MCMC methods.

Final Scientific/Technical Report-Quantum Field Theories for Cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicolis, Alberto [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Physics Dept.

2018-03-10

The research funded by this award spanned a wide range of subjects in theoretical cosmology and in field theory. In the first part, the PI and his collaborators applied effective field theory techniques to the study of macroscopic media and of cosmological perturbations. Such an approach—now standard in particle physics—is quite unconventional for theoretical cosmology. They addressed several concrete questions where this formalism proved valuable, both within and outside the cosmological context, concerning for instance macroscopic physical phenomena for fluids, superfluids, and solids, and their relationship to the dynamics of cosmological perturbations. A particularly successful outcome of this line of research has been the development of “solid inflation”: a cosmological model for primordial inflation where the expansion of the universe is driven by an exotic solid substance. In the second part, the PI and his collaborators investigated more fundamental questions and ideas, for the present universe as well as for the very early one, using quantum field theory as a guide. The questions addressed include: Is the present cosmic acceleration due to a new, ‘dark’ form of energy, or are we instead observing a breakdown of Einstein’s general relativity at cosmological distances? Is the cosmic acceleration accelerating? Is the Big Bang unavoidable? Related to this, is early inflation the only sensible cure for the shortcomings of the standard Big Bang model, and the only possible source for the observed scale-invariant cosmological perturbations?

Inflation circa 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1983-01-01

The hot big bang cosmology provides a reliable accounting of the evolution of the Universe from -- 0.01 s after 'the bang' until the present (10-20 Byr after 'the bang'). This is a truly impressive achievement. There are, however, a handful of very fundamental 'cosmological facts' which the model by itself fails to elucidate. They include: the large-scale homogeneity, the isotropy, the small-scale inhomogeneity, the near critical expansion rate, the predominance of matter, the 'monopole problem', and the extremely tiny value of the present cosmological term. Inflation makes the present state of the observable Universe virtually insensitive to the initial state of the Universe. Unfortunately, at present there is no model of new inflation which both resolves the cosmological puzzles and leads to sensible particle physics. A general prescription for the cosmologically-desirable Higgs potential does exist

Unification of inflation, dark energy, and dark matter within the Salam-Sezgin cosmological model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henriques, Alfredo B.; Potting, Robertus; Sa, Paulo M.

2009-01-01

We investigate a cosmological model, based on the Salam-Sezgin six-dimensional supergravity theory and on previous work by Anchordoqui, Goldberg, Nawata, and Nunez. Assuming a period of warm inflation, we show that it is possible to extend the evolution of the model back in time, to include the inflationary period, thus unifying inflation, dark matter, and dark energy within a single framework. Like the previous authors, we were not able to obtain the full dark matter content of the universe from the Salam-Sezgin scalar fields. However, even if only partially successful, this work shows that present-day theories, based on superstrings and supergravity, may eventually lead to a comprehensive modeling of the evolution of the universe. We find that the gravitational-wave spectrum of the model has a nonconstant negative slope in the frequency range (10 -15 -10 6 ) rad/s, and that, unlike standard (cold) inflation models, it shows no structure in the MHz/GHz range of frequencies.

Standard Model–axion–seesaw–Higgs portal inflation. Five problems of particle physics and cosmology solved in one stroke

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ballesteros, Guillermo [Institut de Physique Théorique, Université Paris Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Redondo, Javier [Departamento de Física Teórica, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009, Zaragoza (Spain); Ringwald, Andreas [DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg (Germany); Tamarit, Carlos, E-mail: guillermo.ballesteros@cea.fr, E-mail: jredondo@unizar.es, E-mail: andreas.ringwald@desy.de, E-mail: carlos.tamarit@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Durham University, South Road, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2017-08-01

We present a minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM) providing a consistent picture of particle physics from the electroweak scale to the Planck scale and of cosmology from inflation until today. Three right-handed neutrinos N {sub i} , a new color triplet Q and a complex SM-singlet scalar σ, whose vacuum expectation value v {sub σ} ∼ 10{sup 11} GeV breaks lepton number and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry simultaneously, are added to the SM. At low energies, the model reduces to the SM, augmented by seesaw generated neutrino masses and mixing, plus the axion. The latter solves the strong CP problem and accounts for the cold dark matter in the Universe. The inflaton is comprised by a mixture of σ and the SM Higgs, and reheating of the Universe after inflation proceeds via the Higgs portal. Baryogenesis occurs via thermal leptogenesis. Thus, five fundamental problems of particle physics and cosmology are solved at one stroke in this unified Standard Model—axion—seesaw—Higgs portal inflation (SMASH) model. It can be probed decisively by upcoming cosmic microwave background and axion dark matter experiments.

Standard Model-Axion-Seesaw-Higgs portal inflation. Five problems of particle physics and cosmology solved in one stroke

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballesteros, Guillermo; Ringwald, Andreas; Tamarit, Carlos

2016-10-01

We present a minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM) providing a consistent picture of particle physics from the electroweak scale to the Planck scale and of cosmology from inflation until today. Three right-handed neutrinos N_i, a new color triplet Q and a complex SM-singlet scalar σ, whose vacuum expectation value υ_σ∝10"1"1 GeV breaks lepton number and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry simultaneously, are added to the SM. At low energies, the model reduces to the SM, augmented by seesaw generated neutrino masses and mixing, plus the axion. The latter solves the strong CP problem and accounts for the cold dark matter in the Universe. The inflaton is comprised by a mixture of σ and the SM Higgs and reheating of the Universe after inflation proceeds via the Higgs portal. Baryogenesis occurs via thermal leptogenesis. Thus, five fundamental problems of particle physics and cosmology are solved at one stroke in this unified Standard Model-Axion-Seesaw-Higgs portal inflation (SMASH) model. It can be probed decisively by upcoming cosmic microwave background and axion dark matter experiments.

Soft inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Berkin, Andrew L.; Maeda, Kei-Ichi; Yokoyama, Junichi

1990-01-01

The cosmology resulting from two coupled scalar fields was studied, one which is either a new inflation or chaotic type inflation, and the other which has an exponentially decaying potential. Such a potential may appear in the conformally transformed frame of generalized Einstein theories like the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. The constraints necessary for successful inflation are examined. Conventional GUT models such as SU(5) were found to be compatible with new inflation, while restrictions on the self-coupling constant are significantly loosened for chaotic inflation.

Inflation and cosmic strings: Two mechanisms for producing structure in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandenberger, R.

1987-01-01

Contents: Introduction; Big Bang Cosmology and its Problems; The Old and the New Inflationary Universe; The Onset of Inflation; Chaotic Inflation; The Origin of Small Scale Structure in Inflationary Universe Models: Generation of Perturbations; Gauge Invariant Analysis of Classical Perturbations; Evolution of Perturbations in Inflationary Universe Models; Cosmological Constrains on Inflationary Universe Models; Beyond the Simplest Models of Inflation; Generalized Inflation (Kaluza-Klein Inflation, Inflation in Induced Gravity Models and in Superstring Theories); Quantum Cosmology and Inflation; Inflation and Cosmic Strings: A Comparison between Two Mechanisms for Forming Structures in the Early Universe

Chain inflation revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chialva, Diego; Danielsson, Ulf H

2008-01-01

This paper represents an in-depth treatment of the chain inflation scenario. We fully determine the evolution of the universe in the model, the conditions necessary in order to have a successful inflationary period, and the matching with the observational results regarding the cosmological perturbations. We study in great detail, and in general, the dynamics of the background, as well as the mechanism of generation of the perturbations. We also find an explicit formula for the spectrum of adiabatic perturbations. Our results prove that chain inflation is a viable model for solving the horizon, entropy and flatness problems of standard cosmology and for generating the right amount of adiabatic cosmological perturbations. The results are radically different from those found in previous works on the subject. Finally, we argue that there is a natural way to embed chain inflation into flux compactified string theory. We discuss the details of the implementation and how to fit observations

Consistent cosmology with Higgs thermal inflation in a minimal extension of the MSSM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hindmarsh, Mark [Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom); Jones, D.R. Timothy, E-mail: m.b.hindmarsh@sussex.ac.uk, E-mail: drtj@liv.ac.uk [Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX (United Kingdom)

2013-03-01

We consider a class of supersymmetric inflation models, in which minimal gauged F-term hybrid inflation is coupled renormalisably to the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), with no extra ingredients; we call this class the ''minimal hybrid inflationary supersymmetric standard model'' (MHISSM). The singlet inflaton couples to the Higgs as well as the waterfall fields, supplying the Higgs μ-term. We show how such models can exit inflation to a vacuum characterised by large Higgs vevs, whose vacuum energy is controlled by supersymmetry-breaking. The true ground state is reached after an intervening period of thermal inflation along the Higgs flat direction, which has important consequences for the cosmology of the F-term inflation scenario. The scalar spectral index is reduced, with a value of approximately 0.976 in the case where the inflaton potential is dominated by the 1-loop radiative corrections. The reheat temperature following thermal inflation is about 10{sup 9} GeV, which solves the gravitino overclosure problem. A Higgs condensate reduces the cosmic string mass per unit length, rendering it compatible with the Cosmic Microwave Background constraints without tuning the inflaton coupling. With the minimal U(1)' gauge symmetry in the inflation sector, where one of the waterfall fields generates a right-handed neutrino mass, we investigate the Higgs thermal inflation scenario in three popular supersymmetry-breaking schemes: AMSB, GMSB and the CMSSM, focusing on the implications for the gravitino bound. In AMSB enough gravitinos can be produced to account for the observed dark matter abundance through decays into neutralinos. In GMSB we find an upper bound on the gravitino mass of about a TeV, while in the CMSSM the thermally generated gravitinos are sub-dominant. When Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints are taken into account, the unstable gravitinos of AMSB and the CMSSM must have a mass O(10) TeV or greater, while in GMSB

Consistent cosmology with Higgs thermal inflation in a minimal extension of the MSSM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Jones, D.R. Timothy

2013-01-01

We consider a class of supersymmetric inflation models, in which minimal gauged F-term hybrid inflation is coupled renormalisably to the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), with no extra ingredients; we call this class the ''minimal hybrid inflationary supersymmetric standard model'' (MHISSM). The singlet inflaton couples to the Higgs as well as the waterfall fields, supplying the Higgs μ-term. We show how such models can exit inflation to a vacuum characterised by large Higgs vevs, whose vacuum energy is controlled by supersymmetry-breaking. The true ground state is reached after an intervening period of thermal inflation along the Higgs flat direction, which has important consequences for the cosmology of the F-term inflation scenario. The scalar spectral index is reduced, with a value of approximately 0.976 in the case where the inflaton potential is dominated by the 1-loop radiative corrections. The reheat temperature following thermal inflation is about 10 9 GeV, which solves the gravitino overclosure problem. A Higgs condensate reduces the cosmic string mass per unit length, rendering it compatible with the Cosmic Microwave Background constraints without tuning the inflaton coupling. With the minimal U(1)' gauge symmetry in the inflation sector, where one of the waterfall fields generates a right-handed neutrino mass, we investigate the Higgs thermal inflation scenario in three popular supersymmetry-breaking schemes: AMSB, GMSB and the CMSSM, focusing on the implications for the gravitino bound. In AMSB enough gravitinos can be produced to account for the observed dark matter abundance through decays into neutralinos. In GMSB we find an upper bound on the gravitino mass of about a TeV, while in the CMSSM the thermally generated gravitinos are sub-dominant. When Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints are taken into account, the unstable gravitinos of AMSB and the CMSSM must have a mass O(10) TeV or greater, while in GMSB we find an upper bound on the

Consistent cosmology with Higgs thermal inflation in a minimal extension of the MSSM

Science.gov (United States)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Jones, D. R. Timothy

2013-03-01

We consider a class of supersymmetric inflation models, in which minimal gauged F-term hybrid inflation is coupled renormalisably to the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), with no extra ingredients; we call this class the ``minimal hybrid inflationary supersymmetric standard model'' (MHISSM). The singlet inflaton couples to the Higgs as well as the waterfall fields, supplying the Higgs μ-term. We show how such models can exit inflation to a vacuum characterised by large Higgs vevs, whose vacuum energy is controlled by supersymmetry-breaking. The true ground state is reached after an intervening period of thermal inflation along the Higgs flat direction, which has important consequences for the cosmology of the F-term inflation scenario. The scalar spectral index is reduced, with a value of approximately 0.976 in the case where the inflaton potential is dominated by the 1-loop radiative corrections. The reheat temperature following thermal inflation is about 109 GeV, which solves the gravitino overclosure problem. A Higgs condensate reduces the cosmic string mass per unit length, rendering it compatible with the Cosmic Microwave Background constraints without tuning the inflaton coupling. With the minimal U(1)' gauge symmetry in the inflation sector, where one of the waterfall fields generates a right-handed neutrino mass, we investigate the Higgs thermal inflation scenario in three popular supersymmetry-breaking schemes: AMSB, GMSB and the CMSSM, focusing on the implications for the gravitino bound. In AMSB enough gravitinos can be produced to account for the observed dark matter abundance through decays into neutralinos. In GMSB we find an upper bound on the gravitino mass of about a TeV, while in the CMSSM the thermally generated gravitinos are sub-dominant. When Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints are taken into account, the unstable gravitinos of AMSB and the CMSSM must have a mass O(10) TeV or greater, while in GMSB we find an upper bound on the

A critical review of inflation

CERN Document Server

Turok, N G

2002-01-01

The theory of cosmic inflation offers an attractive resolution of some of the great paradoxes in cosmology: why the universe is so large, flat and uniform on large scales, and how density variations arose. Inflation has rightly dominated cosmological thinking for the past two decades, helping stimulate the development of high-precision observational programmes. The survival of simple inflationary models in the face of an impressive observational onslaught has been interpreted as convincing evidence of the correctness of the basic idea. In this paper, I review inflation, but highlight its weaknesses, explaining my reasons for believing that a more complete theory may supersede inflation without necessarily incorporating it.

A critical review of inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turok, Neil

2002-01-01

The theory of cosmic inflation offers an attractive resolution of some of the great paradoxes in cosmology: why the universe is so large, flat and uniform on large scales, and how density variations arose. Inflation has rightly dominated cosmological thinking for the past two decades, helping stimulate the development of high-precision observational programmes. The survival of simple inflationary models in the face of an impressive observational onslaught has been interpreted as convincing evidence of the correctness of the basic idea. In this paper, I review inflation, but highlight its weaknesses, explaining my reasons for believing that a more complete theory may supersede inflation without necessarily incorporating it

Brany Liouville inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, John; Mavromatos, Nikolaos; Nanopoulos, Dimitri; Sakharov, Alexander

2004-01-01

We present a specific model for cosmological inflation driven by the Liouville field in a non-critical supersymmetric string framework, in which the departure from criticality is due to open strings stretched between two moving Type-II 5-branes. We use WMAP and other data on fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background to fix the parameters of the model, such as the relative separation and velocity of the 5-branes, respecting also the constraints imposed by data on light propagation from distant gamma-ray bursters. The model also suggests a small, relaxing component in the present vacuum energy that may accommodate the breaking of supersymmetry

Cosmic curvature from de Sitter equilibrium cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Albrecht, Andreas

2011-10-07

I show that the de Sitter equilibrium cosmology generically predicts observable levels of curvature in the Universe today. The predicted value of the curvature, Ω(k), depends only on the ratio of the density of nonrelativistic matter to cosmological constant density ρ(m)(0)/ρ(Λ) and the value of the curvature from the initial bubble that starts the inflation, Ω(k)(B). The result is independent of the scale of inflation, the shape of the potential during inflation, and many other details of the cosmology. Future cosmological measurements of ρ(m)(0)/ρ(Λ) and Ω(k) will open up a window on the very beginning of our Universe and offer an opportunity to support or falsify the de Sitter equilibrium cosmology.

Cosmological aspects of spontaneous baryogenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simone, Andrea De; Kobayashi, Takeshi [SISSA,Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Trieste,Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste (Italy)

2016-08-24

We investigate cosmological aspects of spontaneous baryogenesis driven by a scalar field, and present general constraints that are independent of the particle physics model. The relevant constraints are obtained by studying the backreaction of the produced baryons on the scalar field, the cosmological expansion history after baryogenesis, and the baryon isocurvature perturbations. We show that cosmological considerations alone provide powerful constraints, especially for the minimal scenario with a quadratic scalar potential. Intriguingly, we find that for a given inflation scale, the other parameters including the reheat temperature, decoupling temperature of the baryon violating interactions, and the mass and decay constant of the scalar are restricted to lie within ranges of at most a few orders of magnitude. We also discuss possible extensions to the minimal setup, and propose two ideas for evading constraints on isocurvature perturbations: one is to suppress the baryon isocurvature with nonquadratic scalar potentials, another is to compensate the baryon isocurvature with cold dark matter isocurvature by making the scalar survive until the present.

Relaxion cosmology and the price of fine-tuning

Science.gov (United States)

Di Chiara, Stefano; Kannike, Kristjan; Marzola, Luca; Racioppi, Antonio; Raidal, Martti; Spethmann, Christian

2016-05-01

The relaxion scenario presents an intriguing extension of the standard model in which the particle introduced to solve to the strong C P problem, the axion, also achieves the dynamical relaxation of the Higgs boson mass term. In this work we complete this framework by proposing a scenario of inflationary cosmology that is consistent with all the observational constraints: the relaxion hybrid inflation with an asymmetric waterfall. In our scheme, the vacuum energy of the inflaton drives inflation in a natural way while the relaxion slow rolls. The constraints on the present inflationary observables are then matched through a subsequent inflationary epoch driven by the inflaton. We quantify the amount of fine-tuning of the proposed inflation scenario, concluding that the inflaton sector severely decreases the naturalness of the theory.

Inflation from extra dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, S.M.

1984-01-01

Recently there has been growing interest (1) in the possibility that the universe could have more than four dimensions. Aside from any light this may shed on problems in particle physics, if true it would undoubtedly have important implications for early cosmology. A rather speculative but very appealing possibility suggested by D. Sahdev and by E. Alvarez and B. Gavela is that the gravitational collapse of extra spatial dimensions could drive an inflation of ordinary space. This kind of inflationary cosmology would be quite different from the inflationary cosmologies now so intensively studied which are supposed to result from changes in vacuum energy during phase transitions in the early universe. In our work we examine the physics of these Kaluza-Klein inflationary cosmologies and come to three main conclusions. (1) It is desirable to have many extra dimensions, many being of order forty or fifty. (2) For models which give a realistically large inflation almost all of this inflation occurs in a period when quantum gravity is certainly important. This means that Einstein's equations cannot be used to calculate the details of this inflationary period. (3) Under plausible assumptions one may argue from the second law of thermodynamics that given appropriate initial conditions a large inflation will occur even when details of the inflationary phase cannot be calculated classically

Fluctuations in models with primordial inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahn, R.; Brandenberger, R.

1984-01-01

The recently proposed general framework for calculating the growth of primordial energy density fluctuations in cosmological models is applied to two models of phenomenological interest in which the cosmological evolution differs crucially from that in new inflationary universe models. Both in a model of primordial supersymmetric inflation and in Linde's proposal of chaotic inflation we verify the conjectured results. (orig.)

Cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contopoulos, G.; Kotsakis, D.

1987-01-01

An extensive first part on a wealth of observational results relevant to cosmology lays the foundation for the second and central part of the book; the chapters on general relativity, the various cosmological theories, and the early universe. The authors present in a complete and almost non-mathematical way the ideas and theoretical concepts of modern cosmology including the exciting impact of high-energy particle physics, e.g. in the concept of the ''inflationary universe''. The final part addresses the deeper implications of cosmology, the arrow of time, the universality of physical laws, inflation and causality, and the anthropic principle

Axion cold dark matter in nonstandard cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visinelli, Luca; Gondolo, Paolo

2010-01-01

We study the parameter space of cold dark matter axions in two cosmological scenarios with nonstandard thermal histories before big bang nucleosynthesis: the low-temperature reheating (LTR) cosmology and the kination cosmology. If the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaks during inflation, we find more allowed parameter space in the LTR cosmology than in the standard cosmology and less in the kination cosmology. On the contrary, if the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaks after inflation, the Peccei-Quinn scale is orders of magnitude higher than standard in the LTR cosmology and lower in the kination cosmology. We show that the axion velocity dispersion may be used to distinguish some of these nonstandard cosmologies. Thus, axion cold dark matter may be a good probe of the history of the Universe before big bang nucleosynthesis.

Inflation as de Sitter instability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cadoni, Mariano; Franzin, Edgardo [Universita di Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Dipartimento di Fisica, Monserrato (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Cagliari, Monserrato (Italy); Mignemi, Salvatore [INFN, Sezione di Cagliari, Monserrato (Italy); Universita di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Cagliari (Italy)

2016-09-15

We consider cosmological inflation generated by a scalar field slowly rolling off from a de Sitter maximum of its potential. The models belong to the class of hilltop models and represent the most general model of this kind in which the scalar potential can be written as the sum of two exponentials. The minimally coupled Einstein-scalar gravity theory obtained in this way is the cosmological version of a two-scale generalization of known holographic models, allowing for solitonic solutions interpolating between an AdS spacetime in the infrared and scaling solutions in the ultraviolet. We then investigate cosmological inflation in the slow-roll approximation. Our model reproduces correctly, for a wide range of its parameters, the most recent experimental data for the power spectrum of primordial perturbations. Moreover, it predicts inflation at energy scales of four to five orders of magnitude below the Planck scale. At the onset of inflation, the mass of the tachyonic excitation, i.e. of the inflaton, turns out to be seven to eight orders of magnitude smaller than the Planck mass. (orig.)

SU(N,1) inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, J.; Enqvist, K.; Nanopoulos, D.V.; Olive, K.A.; Srednicki, M.

1985-01-01

We present a simple model for primordial inflation in the context of SU(N, 1) no-scale n=1 supergravity. Because the model at zero temperature very closely resembles global supersymmetry, minima with negative cosmological constants do not exist, and it is easy to have a long inflationary epoch while keeping density perturbations of the right magnitude and satisfying other cosmological constraints. We pay specific attention to satisfying the thermal constraint for inflation, i.e. the existence of a high temperature minimum at the origin. (orig.)

The cosmology/particle physics interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olive, K.A.; Schramm, D.N.

1985-01-01

The paper reviews the interface between elementary particle physics and cosmology; and concentrates on inflation and the dark matter problem. Inflationary models of the Universe are examined, including phase transitions and supergravity. The three classes of dark matter problems discussed are: dynamical halos, galaxy formation and clustering, and the Ω=1 of inflation. Possible solutions to the cosmological dark matter problems are considered. (U.K.)

A smooth landscape: ending saddle point inflation requires features to be shallow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battefeld, Diana; Battefeld, Thorsten

2013-01-01

We consider inflation driven near a saddle point in a higher dimensional field space, which is the most likely type of slow roll inflation on the string theoretical landscape; anthropic arguments need to be invoked in order to find a sufficiently flat region. To give all inflatons large masses after inflation and yield a small but positive cosmological constant, the trajectory in field space needs to terminate in a hole on the inflationary plateau, introducing a curved end-of-inflation hypersurface. We compute non-Gaussianities (bi- and tri-spectrum) caused by this curved hyper-surface and find a negative, potentially large, local non-linearity parameter. To be consistent with current observational bounds, the hole needs to be shallow, i.e. considerably wider than deep in natural units. To avoid singling out our vacuum as special (i.e. more special than a positive cosmological constant entails), we deduce that all features on field space should be similarly shallow, severely limiting the type of landscapes one may use for inflationary model building. We justify the use of a truncated Fourier series with random coefficients, which are suppressed the higher the frequency, to model such a smooth landscape by a random potential, as is often done in the literature without a good a priory reason

An introduction to cosmology

CERN Document Server

Narlikar, Jayant Vishnu

2002-01-01

The third edition of this successful textbook is fully updated and includes important recent developments in cosmology. It begins with an introduction to cosmology and general relativity, and goes on to cover the mathematical models of standard cosmology. The physical aspects of cosmology, including primordial nucleosynthesis, the astroparticle physics of inflation, and the current ideas on structure formation are discussed. Alternative models of cosmology are reviewed, including the model of Quasi-Steady State Cosmology, which has recently been proposed as an alternative to Big Bang Cosmology.

Unimodular-mimetic cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojiri, S; Odintsov, S D; Oikonomou, V K

2016-01-01

We combine the unimodular gravity and mimetic gravity theories into a unified theoretical framework, which is proposed to provide a suggestive proposal for a framework that may assist in the discussion and search for a solution to the cosmological constant problem and the dark matter issue. After providing the formulation of the unimodular mimetic gravity and investigating all the new features that the vacuum unimodular gravity implies, by using the underlying reconstruction method, we realize some well known cosmological evolutions, with some of these being exotic for the ordinary Einstein–Hilbert gravity. Specifically we provide the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity description of the de Sitter cosmology and of the perfect fluid with constant equation of state cosmology. As we demonstrate, these cosmologies can be realized by vacuum mimetic unimodular gravity, without the existence of any matter fluid source. Moreover, we investigate how cosmologically viable cosmologies, which are compatible with the recent observational data, can be realized by the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity. Since in some cases, a graceful exit from inflation problem might exist, we provide a qualitative description of the mechanism that can potentially generate the graceful exit from inflation in these theories, by searching for the unstable de Sitter solutions in the context of unimodular mimetic theories of gravity. (paper)

Inflation, the Higgs field and the resolution of the Cosmological Constant Paradox

Science.gov (United States)

De Martini, Francesco

2017-08-01

The nature of the scalar field responsible for the cosmological inflation, the ”inflaton”, is found to be rooted in the most fundamental concept of the Weyl’s differential geometry: the parallel displacement of vectors in curved space-time. Within this novel dynamical scenario, the standard electroweak theory of leptons based on the SU(2) L ⊗ U(1) Y as well as on the conformal groups of spacetime Weyl’s transformations is analyzed within the framework of a general-relativistic, co-covariant scalar-tensor theory that includes the electromagnetic and the Yang-Mills fields. A Higgs mechanism within a spontaneous symmetry breaking process is identified and this offers formal connections between some relevant properties of the elementary particles and the dark energy content of the Universe. An ”Effective Cosmological Potential”: Veff is expressed in terms of the dark energy potential: {V}{{Λ }}\\equiv {M}{{Λ }}2 via the ”mass reduction parameter”: \\zeta \\equiv \\sqrt{\\frac{|{V}eff|}{|{V}{{Λ }}|}}, a general property of the Universe. The mass of the Higgs boson, which is considered a ”free parameter” by the standard electroweak theory, by our theory is found to be proportional to the geometrical mean: {M}H\\propto \\sqrt{{M}eff× {M}P} of the Planck mass, MP and of the mass {M}eff\\equiv \\sqrt{|{V}eff|} which accounts for the measured Cosmological Constant, i.e. the measured content of vacuum-energy in the Universe. The experimental result obtained by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations at CERN in the year 2012: MH = 125.09(GeV/c 2) leads by our theory to a value: Meff ~ 3.19 · 10-6(eV/c 2). The peculiar mathematical structure of Veff offers a clue towards the resolution of a most intriguing puzzle of modern quantum field theory, the ”Cosmological Constant Paradox”.

Testing Cosmic Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David

2010-01-01

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has provided a wealth of information about the history and physics of the early Universe. Much progress has been made on uncovering the emerging Standard Model of Cosmology by such experiments as COBE and WMAP, and ESA's Planck Surveyor will likely increase our knowledge even more. Despite the success of this model, mysteries remain. Currently understood physics does not offer a compelling explanation for the homogeneity, flatness, and the origin of structure in the Universe. Cosmic Inflation, a brief epoch of exponential expansion, has been posted to explain these observations. If inflation is a reality, it is expected to produce a background spectrum of gravitational waves that will leave a small polarized imprint on the CMB. Discovery of this signal would give the first direct evidence for inflation and provide a window into physics at scales beyond those accessible to terrestrial particle accelerators. I will briefly review aspects of the Standard Model of Cosmology and discuss our current efforts to design and deploy experiments to measure the polarization of the CMB with the precision required to test inflation.

Cosmology

CERN Document Server

García-Bellido, J

2015-01-01

In these lectures I review the present status of the so-called Standard Cosmological Model, based on the hot Big Bang Theory and the Inflationary Paradigm. I will make special emphasis on the recent developments in observational cosmology, mainly the acceleration of the universe, the precise measurements of the microwave background anisotropies, and the formation of structure like galaxies and clusters of galaxies from tiny primordial fluctuations generated during inflation.

Introduction to cosmology

CERN Document Server

Roos, Matts

2003-01-01

The Third Edition of the hugely successful Introduction to Cosmology provides a concise, authoritative study of cosmology at an introductory level. Starting from elementary principles and the history of cosmology, the text carefully guides the student on to curved spacetimes, general relativity, black holes, cosmological models, particles and symmetries, and phase transitions. Extensively revised, this latest edition includes broader and updated coverage of distance measures, gravitational lensing and waves, dark energy and quintessence, the thermal history of the Universe, inflation,

The Flavour of Inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavala, I.

2008-01-01

A new class of particle physics models of inflation based on the phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of family symmetry is proposed. The Higgs fields responsible for the breaking of family symmetry, the flavons, are natural inflaton candidates or waterfall fields in hybrid inflation. This opens up a rich vein of possible inflation models, all linked to the physics of flavour, with several interesting cosmological implications.

First observational tests of eternal inflation.

Science.gov (United States)

Feeney, Stephen M; Johnson, Matthew C; Mortlock, Daniel J; Peiris, Hiranya V

2011-08-12

The eternal inflation scenario predicts that our observable Universe resides inside a single bubble embedded in a vast inflating multiverse. We present the first observational tests of eternal inflation, performing a search for cosmological signatures of collisions with other bubble universes in cosmic microwave background data from the WMAP satellite. We conclude that the WMAP 7-year data do not warrant augmenting the cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant with bubble collisions, constraining the average number of detectable bubble collisions on the full sky N(s) < 1.6 at 68% C.L. Data from the Planck satellite can be used to more definitively test the bubble-collision hypothesis.

Back Reaction And Local Cosmological Expansion Rate

CERN Document Server

Geshnizjani, G; Geshnizjani, Ghazal; Brandenberger, Robert

2002-01-01

We calculate the back reaction of cosmological perturbations on a general relativistic variable which measures the local expansion rate of the Universe. Specifically, we consider a cosmological model in which matter is described by a single field. We analyze back reaction both in a matter dominated Universe and in a phase of scalar field-driven chaotic inflation. In both cases, we find that the leading infrared terms contributing to the back reaction vanish when the local expansion rate is measured at a fixed value of the matter field which is used as a clock, whereas they do not appear to vanish if the expansion rate is evaluated at a fixed value of the background time. We discuss possible implications for more realistic models with a more complicated matter sector.

New type of hill-top inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barvinsky, A.O.; Nesterov, D.V. [Theory Department, Lebedev Physics Institute, Leninsky Prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Kamenshchik, A.Yu., E-mail: barvin@td.lpi.ru, E-mail: Alexander.Kamenshchik@bo.infn.it, E-mail: nesterov@td.lpi.ru [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy)

2016-01-01

We suggest a new type of hill-top inflation originating from the initial conditions in the form of the microcanonical density matrix for the cosmological model with a large number of quantum fields conformally coupled to gravity. Initial conditions for inflation are set up by cosmological instantons describing underbarrier oscillations in the vicinity of the inflaton potential maximum. These periodic oscillations of the inflaton field and cosmological scale factor are obtained within the approximation of two coupled oscillators subject to the slow roll regime in the Euclidean time. This regime is characterized by rapid oscillations of the scale factor on the background of a slowly varying inflaton, which guarantees smallness of slow roll parameters ε and η of the following inflation stage. A hill-like shape of the inflaton potential is shown to be generated by logarithmic loop corrections to the tree-level asymptotically shift-invariant potential in the non-minimal Higgs inflation model and R{sup 2}-gravity. The solution to the problem of hierarchy between the Planckian scale and the inflation scale is discussed within the concept of conformal higher spin fields, which also suggests the mechanism bringing the model below the gravitational cutoff and, thus, protecting it from large graviton loop corrections.

New type of hill-top inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barvinsky, A.O. [Theory Department, Lebedev Physics Institute,Leninsky Prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Department of Physics, Tomsk State University,Lenin Ave. 36, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Pacific Institue for Theoretical Physics,University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Kamenshchik, A.Yu. [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physcis,Kosygin str. 2, 119334 Moscow (Russian Federation); Nesterov, D.V. [Theory Department, Lebedev Physics Institute,Leninsky Prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation)

2016-01-20

We suggest a new type of hill-top inflation originating from the initial conditions in the form of the microcanonical density matrix for the cosmological model with a large number of quantum fields conformally coupled to gravity. Initial conditions for inflation are set up by cosmological instantons describing underbarrier oscillations in the vicinity of the inflaton potential maximum. These periodic oscillations of the inflaton field and cosmological scale factor are obtained within the approximation of two coupled oscillators subject to the slow roll regime in the Euclidean time. This regime is characterized by rapid oscillations of the scale factor on the background of a slowly varying inflaton, which guarantees smallness of slow roll parameters ϵ and η of the following inflation stage. A hill-like shape of the inflaton potential is shown to be generated by logarithmic loop corrections to the tree-level asymptotically shift-invariant potential in the non-minimal Higgs inflation model and R{sup 2}-gravity. The solution to the problem of hierarchy between the Planckian scale and the inflation scale is discussed within the concept of conformal higher spin fields, which also suggests the mechanism bringing the model below the gravitational cutoff and, thus, protecting it from large graviton loop corrections.

Physically self-consistent basis for modern cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khlopov, M.Yu.

2000-01-01

Cosmoparticle physics appeared as a natural result of internal development of cosmology seeking physical grounds for inflation, baryosynthesis, and nonbaryonic dark matter and of particle physics going outside the Standard Model of particle interactions. Its aim is to study the foundations of particle physics and cosmology and their fundamental relationship in the combination of respective indirect cosmological, astrophysical, and physical effects. The ideas on new particles and fields predicted by particle theory and on their cosmological impact are discussed, as well as the methods of cosmoparticle physics to probe these ideas, are considered with special analysis of physical mechanisms for inflation, baryosynthesis, and nonbaryonic dark matter. These mechanisms are shown to reflect the main principle of modern cosmology, putting, instead of formal parameters of cosmological models, physical processes governing the evolution of the big-bang universe. Their realization on the basis of particle theory induces additional model-dependent predictions, accessible to various methods of nonaccelerator particle physics. Probes for such predictions, with the use of astrophysical data, are the aim of cosmoarcheology studying astrophysical effects of new physics. The possibility of finding quantitatively definite relationships between cosmological and laboratory effects on the basis of cosmoparticle approach, as well as of obtaining a unique solution to the problem of physical candidates for inflation, mechanisms of baryogenesis, and multicomponent dark matter, is exemplified in terms of gauge model with broken family symmetry, underlying horizontal unification and possessing quantitatively definite physical grounds for inflation, baryosynthesis, and effectively multicomponent dark-matter scenarios

Flavon inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antusch, S.; King, F.S.; Malinsky, M.; Velasco-Sevilla, L.; Zavala, I.

2008-04-01

We propose an entirely new class of particle physics models of inflation based on the phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of family symmetry responsible for the generation of the effective quark and lepton Yukawa couplings. We show that the Higgs fields responsible for the breaking of family symmetry, called flavons, are natural candidates for the inflation field in new inflation, or the waterfall fields in hybrid inflation. This opens up a rich vein of possible inflation models, all linked to the physics of flavour, with interesting cosmological and phenomenological implications. Out of these many possibilities we discuss two examples which realise flavon inflation: a model of new inflation based on the discrete non-Abelian family symmetry group A 4 or Δ 27 , and a model of hybrid inflation embedded in an existing flavour model with a continuous SU(3) family symmetry. With the inflation scale and family symmetry breaking scale below the Grand Unification Theory (GUT) scale, these classes of models are free of the monopole (and similar) problems which are often associated with the GUT phase transition. (author)

Natural Braneworld Inflation in Light of Recent Results from Planck and BICEP2

CERN Document Server

Neupane, Ishwaree P.

2014-01-01

In this paper we report on a major theoretical observation in cosmology. We present a concrete cosmological model for which inflation has natural beginning and natural ending. Inflation is driven by a cosine-form potential, $V(\\phi)= \\Lambda^4 (1-\\cos(\\phi/f))$, which begins at $\\phi \\lesssim \\pi f$ and ends at $\\phi =\\phi_{\\text{end}} \\lesssim 5 f/3$. The distance traversed by the inflaton field $\\phi$ is sub-Planckian. The Gauss-Bonnet term ${\\cal R}^2$ arising as leading curvature corrections in the action $S = \\int d^5{x} \\sqrt{-g_{5}} M^3 (- 6\\lambda M^2 + R + \\alpha M^{-2} {\\cal R}^2)+ \\int d^{4}x \\sqrt{-g_{4}} (\\dot{\\phi}^2/2 - V(\\phi)- \\sigma +{\\cal L}_{\\text{matter}})$ (where $\\alpha$ and $\\lambda$ are constants and $M$ is the five-dimensional Planck mass) plays a key role to terminate inflation. The model generates appropriate tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ and inflationary perturbations that are consistent with results from Planck and BICEP2. For example, for $N_*= 50-60$ and $n_s\\sim 0.960\\pm 0.005$, ...

Why does inflation start at the top of the hill?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawking, S.W.; Hertog, Thomas

2002-01-01

We show why the universe started in an unstable de Sitter state. The quantum origin of our universe implies one must take a 'top down' approach to the problem of initial conditions in cosmology, in which the histories that contribute to the path integral depend on the observable being measured. Using the no boundary proposal to specify the class of histories, we study the quantum cosmological origin of an inflationary universe in theories such as trace anomaly driven inflation in which the effective potential has a local maximum. We find that an expanding universe is most likely to emerge in an unstable de Sitter state, by semiclassical tunneling via a Hawking-Moss instanton. Since the top down view is forced upon us by the quantum nature of the universe, we argue that the approach developed here should still apply when the framework of quantum cosmology will be based on M theory

Loop quantum gravity effects on inflation and the CMB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujikawa, Shinji; Singh, Parampreet; Maartens, Roy

2004-01-01

In loop quantum cosmology, the universe avoids a big bang singularity and undergoes an early and short super-inflation phase. During super-inflation, non-perturbative quantum corrections to the dynamics drive an inflaton field up its potential hill, thus setting the initial conditions for standard inflation. We show that this effect can raise the inflaton high enough to achieve sufficient e-foldings in the standard inflation era. We analyse the cosmological perturbations generated when slow-roll is violated after super-inflation and show that loop quantum effects can in principle leave an indirect signature on the largest scales in the CMB, with some loss of power and running of the spectral index

Non-minimally coupled tachyon and inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piao Yunsong; Huang Qingguo; Zhang Xinmin; Zhang Yuanzhong

2003-01-01

In this Letter, we consider a model of tachyon with a non-minimal coupling to gravity and study its cosmological effects. Regarding inflation, we show that only for a specific coupling of tachyon to gravity this model satisfies observations and solves various problems which exist in the single and multi tachyon inflation models. But noting in the string theory the coupling coefficient of tachyon to gravity is of order g s , which in general is very small, we can hardly expect that the non-minimally coupling of tachyon to gravity could provide a reasonable tachyon inflation scenario. Our work may be a meaningful try for the cosmological effect of tachyon non-minimally coupled to gravity

Inflation and the Higgs Scalar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, Dan [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

2014-12-05

This note makes a self-contained exposition of the basic facts of big bang cosmology as they relate to inflation. The fundamental problems with that model are then explored. A simple scalar model of inflation is evaluated which provides the solution of those problems and makes predictions which will soon be definitively tested. The possibility that the recently discovered fundamental Higgs scalar field drives inflation is explored.

Flavon inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antusch, S. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut), Foehringer Ring 6, D-80805 Muenchen (Germany); King, S.F.; Malinsky, M. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Velasco-Sevilla, L. [ICTP, Strada Costiera 11, Trieste 34014 (Italy)], E-mail: lvelasco@ictp.it; Zavala, I. [CPT and IPPP, Durham University, South Road, DH1 3LE, Durham (United Kingdom)

2008-08-14

We propose an entirely new class of particle physics models of inflation based on the phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of family symmetry responsible for the generation of the effective quark and lepton Yukawa couplings. We show that the Higgs fields responsible for the breaking of family symmetry, called flavons, are natural candidates for the inflaton field in new inflation, or the waterfall fields in hybrid inflation. This opens up a rich vein of possibilities for inflation, all linked to the physics of flavour, with interesting cosmological and phenomenological implications. Out of these, we discuss two examples which realise flavon inflation: a model of new inflation based on the discrete non-Abelian family symmetry group A{sub 4} or {delta}{sub 27}, and a model of hybrid inflation embedded in an existing flavour model with a continuous SU(3) family symmetry. With the inflation scale and family symmetry breaking scale below the Grand Unification Theory (GUT) scale, these classes of models are free of the monopole (and similar) problems which are often associated with the GUT phase transition.

Flavon inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antusch, S.; King, S.F.; Malinsky, M.; Velasco-Sevilla, L.; Zavala, I.

2008-01-01

We propose an entirely new class of particle physics models of inflation based on the phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of family symmetry responsible for the generation of the effective quark and lepton Yukawa couplings. We show that the Higgs fields responsible for the breaking of family symmetry, called flavons, are natural candidates for the inflaton field in new inflation, or the waterfall fields in hybrid inflation. This opens up a rich vein of possibilities for inflation, all linked to the physics of flavour, with interesting cosmological and phenomenological implications. Out of these, we discuss two examples which realise flavon inflation: a model of new inflation based on the discrete non-Abelian family symmetry group A 4 or Δ 27 , and a model of hybrid inflation embedded in an existing flavour model with a continuous SU(3) family symmetry. With the inflation scale and family symmetry breaking scale below the Grand Unification Theory (GUT) scale, these classes of models are free of the monopole (and similar) problems which are often associated with the GUT phase transition

The optimal approach of detecting stochastic gravitational wave from string cosmology using multiple detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Xilong; Zhu Zonghong

2008-01-01

String cosmology models predict a relic background of gravitational wave produced during the dilaton-driven inflation. It's spectrum is most likely to be detected by ground gravitational wave laser interferometers (IFOs), like LIGO, Virgo, GEO, as the energy density grows rapidly with frequency. We show the certain ranges of the parameters that underlying string cosmology model using two approaches, associated with 5% false alarm and 95% detection rate. The result presents that the approach of combining multiple pairs of IFOs is better than the approach of directly combining the outputs of multiple IFOs for LIGOH, LIGOL, Virgo and GEO

Fibre inflation and α-attractors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallosh, Renata; Linde, Andrei [Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States). Stanford Inst. for Theoretical Physics and Dept. of Physics; Leiden Univ. (Netherlands). Lorentz Inst. for Theoretical Physics; Roest, Diederik [Groningen Univ. (Netherlands). Van Swinderen Inst. for Particle Physics and Gravity; Westphal, Alexander [DESY, Hamburg (Germany). Theory Group; Yamada, Yusuke [Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States). Stanford Inst. for Theoretical Physics and Dept. of Physics

2017-07-15

Fibre inflation is a specific string theory construction based on the Large Volume Scenario that produces an inflationary plateau. We outline its relation to α-attractor models for inflation, with the cosmological sector originating from certain string theory corrections leading to α=2 and α=1/2. Above a certain field range, the steepening effect of higher-order corrections leads first to the breakdown of single-field slow-roll and after that to the onset of 2-field dynamics: the overall volume of the extra dimensions starts to participate in the effective dynamics. Finally, we propose effective supergravity models of fibre inflation based on an D3 uplift term with a nilpotent superfield. Specific moduli dependent D3 induced geometries lead to cosmological fibre models but have in addition a de Sitter minimum exit. These supergravity models motivated by fibre inflation are relatively simple, stabilize the axions and disentangle the Hubble parameter from supersymmetry breaking.

Fibre inflation and α-attractors

Science.gov (United States)

Kallosh, Renata; Linde, Andrei; Roest, Diederik; Westphal, Alexander; Yamada, Yusuke

2018-02-01

Fibre inflation is a specific string theory construction based on the Large Volume Scenario that produces an inflationary plateau. We outline its relation to α-attractor models for inflation, with the cosmological sector originating from certain string theory corrections leading to α = 2 and α = 1/2. Above a certain field range, the steepening effect of higher-order corrections leads first to the breakdown of single-field slow-roll and after that to the onset of 2-field dynamics: the overall volume of the extra dimensions starts to participate in the effective dynamics. Finally, we propose effective supergravity models of fibre inflation based on an \\overline{D3} uplift term with a nilpotent superfield. Specific moduli dependent \\overline{D3} induced geometries lead to cosmological fibre models but have in addition a de Sitter minimum exit. These supergravity models motivated by fibre inflation are relatively simple, stabilize the axions and disentangle the Hubble parameter from supersymmetry breaking.

Stable solutions of inflation driven by vector fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emami, Razieh [Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Mukohyama, Shinji [Center for Gravitational Physics, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502, Kyoto (Japan); Namba, Ryo [Department of Physics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2T8 (Canada); Zhang, Ying-li, E-mail: iasraziehm@ust.hk, E-mail: shinji.mukohyama@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: namba@physics.mcgill.ca, E-mail: yingli@bao.ac.cn [National Astronomy Observatories, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100012 (China)

2017-03-01

Many models of inflation driven by vector fields alone have been known to be plagued by pathological behaviors, namely ghost and/or gradient instabilities. In this work, we seek a new class of vector-driven inflationary models that evade all of the mentioned instabilities. We build our analysis on the Generalized Proca Theory with an extension to three vector fields to realize isotropic expansion. We obtain the conditions required for quasi de-Sitter solutions to be an attractor analogous to the standard slow-roll one and those for their stability at the level of linearized perturbations. Identifying the remedy to the existing unstable models, we provide a simple example and explicitly show its stability. This significantly broadens our knowledge on vector inflationary scenarios, reviving potential phenomenological interests for this class of models.

Stable solutions of inflation driven by vector fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emami, Razieh; Mukohyama, Shinji; Namba, Ryo; Zhang, Ying-li

2017-01-01

Many models of inflation driven by vector fields alone have been known to be plagued by pathological behaviors, namely ghost and/or gradient instabilities. In this work, we seek a new class of vector-driven inflationary models that evade all of the mentioned instabilities. We build our analysis on the Generalized Proca Theory with an extension to three vector fields to realize isotropic expansion. We obtain the conditions required for quasi de-Sitter solutions to be an attractor analogous to the standard slow-roll one and those for their stability at the level of linearized perturbations. Identifying the remedy to the existing unstable models, we provide a simple example and explicitly show its stability. This significantly broadens our knowledge on vector inflationary scenarios, reviving potential phenomenological interests for this class of models.

Simple types of anisotropic inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrow, John D.; Hervik, Sigbjoern

2010-01-01

We display some simple cosmological solutions of gravity theories with quadratic Ricci curvature terms added to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian which exhibit anisotropic inflation. The Hubble expansion rates are constant and unequal in three orthogonal directions. We describe the evolution of the simplest of these homogeneous and anisotropic cosmological models from its natural initial state and evaluate the deviations they will create from statistical isotropy in the fluctuations produced during a period of anisotropic inflation. The anisotropic inflation is not a late-time attractor in these models but the rate of approach to a final isotropic de Sitter state is slow and is conducive to the creation of observable anisotropic statistical effects in the microwave background. The statistical anisotropy would not be scale invariant and the level of statistical anisotropy will grow with scale.

Back reaction and the local cosmological expansion rate

CERN Document Server

Geshnizjani, G

2002-01-01

We calculate the back reaction of cosmological perturbations on a general relativistic variable which measures the local expansion rate of the Universe. Specifically, we consider a cosmological model in which matter is described by a single field. We analyze back reaction both in a matter-dominated Universe and in a phase of scalar field-driven chaotic inflation. In both cases, we find that the leading infrared terms contributing to the back reaction vanish when the local expansion rate is measured at a fixed value of the matter field which is used as a clock, whereas they do not appear to vanish if the expansion rate is evaluated at a fixed value of the background time. We discuss possible implications for more realistic models with a more complicated matter sector.

Rapid roll inflation with conformal coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kofman, Lev; Mukohyama, Shinji

2008-01-01

Usual inflation is realized with a slow rolling scalar field minimally coupled to gravity. In contrast, we consider dynamics of a scalar with a flat effective potential, conformally coupled to gravity. Surprisingly, it contains an attractor inflationary solution with the rapidly rolling inflaton field. We discuss models with the conformal inflaton with a flat potential (including hybrid inflation). There is no generation of cosmological fluctuations from the conformally coupled inflaton. We consider realizations of modulated (inhomogeneous reheating) or curvaton cosmological fluctuations in these models. We also implement these unusual features for the popular string-theoretic warped inflationary scenario, based on the interacting D3-D3 branes. The original warped brane inflation suffers a large inflaton mass due to conformal coupling to 4-dimensional gravity. Instead of considering this as a problem and trying to cure it with extra engineering, we show that warped inflation with the conformally coupled, rapidly rolling inflaton is yet possible with N=37 efoldings, which requires low-energy scales 1-100 TeV of inflation. Coincidentally, the same warping numerology can be responsible for the hierarchy. It is shown that the scalars associated with angular isometries of the warped geometry of compact manifold (e.g. S 3 of Klebanov-Strassler (KS) geometry) have solutions identical to conformally coupled modes and also cannot be responsible for cosmological fluctuations. We discuss other possibilities

Rapid roll inflation with conformal coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Kofman, Lev; Mukohyama, Shinji

2008-02-01

Usual inflation is realized with a slow rolling scalar field minimally coupled to gravity. In contrast, we consider dynamics of a scalar with a flat effective potential, conformally coupled to gravity. Surprisingly, it contains an attractor inflationary solution with the rapidly rolling inflaton field. We discuss models with the conformal inflaton with a flat potential (including hybrid inflation). There is no generation of cosmological fluctuations from the conformally coupled inflaton. We consider realizations of modulated (inhomogeneous reheating) or curvaton cosmological fluctuations in these models. We also implement these unusual features for the popular string-theoretic warped inflationary scenario, based on the interacting D3-D¯3 branes. The original warped brane inflation suffers a large inflaton mass due to conformal coupling to 4-dimensional gravity. Instead of considering this as a problem and trying to cure it with extra engineering, we show that warped inflation with the conformally coupled, rapidly rolling inflaton is yet possible with N=37 efoldings, which requires low-energy scales 1 100 TeV of inflation. Coincidentally, the same warping numerology can be responsible for the hierarchy. It is shown that the scalars associated with angular isometries of the warped geometry of compact manifold (e.g. S3 of Klebanov-Strassler (KS) geometry) have solutions identical to conformally coupled modes and also cannot be responsible for cosmological fluctuations. We discuss other possibilities.

Supersymmetry and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Jonathan L.

2005-01-01

Cosmology now provides unambiguous, quantitative evidence for new particle physics. I discuss the implications of cosmology for supersymmetry and vice versa. Topics include: motivations for supersymmetry; supersymmetry breaking; dark energy; freeze out and WIMPs; neutralino dark matter; cosmologically preferred regions of minimal supergravity; direct and indirect detection of neutralinos; the DAMA and HEAT signals; inflation and reheating; gravitino dark matter; Big Bang nucleosynthesis; and the cosmic microwave background. I conclude with speculations about the prospects for a microscopic description of the dark universe, stressing the necessity of diverse experiments on both sides of the particle physics/cosmology interface

A dynamical weak scale from inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

You, Tevong, E-mail: tty20@cam.ac.uk [DAMTP, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA (United Kingdom)

2017-09-01

Dynamical scanning of the Higgs mass by an axion-like particle during inflation may provide a cosmological component to explaining part of the hierarchy problem. We propose a novel interplay of this cosmological relaxation mechanism with inflation, whereby the backreaction of the Higgs vacuum expectation value near the weak scale causes inflation to end. As Hubble drops, the relaxion's dissipative friction increases relative to Hubble and slows it down enough to be trapped by the barriers of its periodic potential. Such a scenario raises the natural cut-off of the theory up to ∼ 10{sup 10} GeV, while maintaining a minimal relaxion sector without having to introduce additional scanning scalars or new physics coincidentally close to the weak scale.

On inflating magnetic fields, and the backreactions thereof

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, Federico R., E-mail: urban@phas.ubc.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z1 (Canada)

2011-12-01

We investigate in more depth the issue of backreaction in models that attempt at generating cosmological magnetic fields at inflation. By choosing different, physically motivated, parametrisations, we are able to isolate the heart of the problem, namely the existence, alongside the wanted magnetic field, of its electric counterpart, which turns out quite generally to be stronger and redder. We were also able to identify a few more interwoven weak spots (the typically very high scale of inflation, the width of the spectrum of modes processed by inflation, the blindness of the amplification mechanism to the energy scale processed), in a way independent on the specifications of the coupling between inflation and electromagnetism. Despite having stripped down the problem to the core, the obstacles encountered appear insurmountable, thereby posing a challenge to inflation as the incubator of cosmological magnetism.

Pre - big bang inflation requires fine tuning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, Michael S. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Weinberg, Erick J. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

1997-10-01

The pre-big-bang cosmology inspired by superstring theories has been suggested as an alternative to slow-roll inflation. We analyze, in both the Jordan and Einstein frames, the effect of spatial curvature on this scenario and show that too much curvature --- of either sign --- reduces the duration of the inflationary era to such an extent that the flatness and horizon problems are not solved. Hence, a fine-tuning of initial conditions is required to obtain enough inflation to solve the cosmological problems.

New Old Inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dvali, Gia

2003-10-03

We propose a new class of inflationary solutions to the standard cosmological problems (horizon, flatness, monopole,...), based on a modification of old inflation. These models do not require a potential which satisfies the normal inflationary slow-roll conditions. Our universe arises from a single tunneling event as the inflaton leaves the false vacuum. Subsequent dynamics (arising from either the oscillations of the inflaton field or thermal effects) keep a second field trapped in a false minimum, resulting in an evanescent period of inflation (with roughly 50 e-foldings) inside the bubble. This easily allows the bubble to grow sufficiently large to contain our present horizon volume. Reheating is accomplished when the inflaton driving the last stage of inflation rolls down to the true vacuum, and adiabatic density perturbations arise from moduli-dependent Yukawa couplings of the inflaton to matter fields. Our scenario has several robust predictions, including virtual absence of gravity waves, a possible absence of tilt in scalar perturbations, and a higher degree of non-Gaussianity than other models. It also naturally incorporates a solution to the cosmological moduli problem.

Cosmological perturbations in transient phantom inflation scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richarte, Martin G. [Universidade Federal do Parana, Departamento de Fisica, Caixa Postal 19044, Curitiba (Brazil); Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria 1428, Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Kremer, Gilberto M. [Universidade Federal do Parana, Departamento de Fisica, Caixa Postal 19044, Curitiba (Brazil)

2017-01-15

We present a model of inflation where the inflaton is accommodated as a phantom field which exhibits an initial transient pole behavior and then decays into a quintessence field which is responsible for a radiation era. We must stress that the present unified model only deals with a single field and that the transition between the two eras is achieved in a smooth way, so the model does not suffer from the eternal inflation issue. We explore the conditions for the crossing of the phantom divide line within the inflationary era along with the structural stability of several critical points. We study the behavior of the phantom field within the slow-climb approximation along with the necessary conditions to have sufficient inflation. We also examine the model at the level of classical perturbations within the Newtonian gauge and determine the behavior of the gravitational potential, contrast density and perturbed field near the inflation stage and the subsequent radiation era. (orig.)

20+ years of Inflation

CERN Document Server

García-Bellido, J

2003-01-01

In this talk I will review the present status of inflationary cosmology and its emergence as the basic paradigm behind the Standard Cosmological Model, with parameters determined today at better than 10% level from CMB and LSS observations. I will also discuss the recent theoretical developments on the process of reheating after inflation and model building based on string theory and D-branes.

Effects of thermal inflation on small scale density perturbations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Sungwook E. [School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, 85 Hoegiro, Seoul 130-722 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyung-Joo; Lee, Young Jae; Stewart, Ewan D. [Department of Physics, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-338 (Korea, Republic of); Zoe, Heeseung, E-mail: swhong@kias.re.kr, E-mail: ohsk111@kaist.ac.kr, E-mail: noasac@kaist.ac.kr, E-mail: jcap@profstewart.org, E-mail: heezoe@dgist.ac.kr [School of Basic Science, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno jungang-daero, Daegu 711-873 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-01

In cosmological scenarios with thermal inflation, extra eras of moduli matter domination, thermal inflation and flaton matter domination exist between primordial inflation and the radiation domination of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. During these eras, cosmological perturbations on small scales can enter and re-exit the horizon, modifying the power spectrum on those scales. The largest modified scale, k{sub b}, touches the horizon size when the expansion changes from deflation to inflation at the transition from moduli domination to thermal inflation. We analytically calculate the evolution of perturbations from moduli domination through thermal inflation and evaluate the curvature perturbation on the constant radiation density hypersurface at the end of thermal inflation to determine the late time curvature perturbation. Our resulting transfer function suppresses the power spectrum by a factor 0∼ 5 at k >> k{sub b}, with k{sub b} corresponding to anywhere from megaparsec to subparsec scales depending on the parameters of thermal inflation. Thus, thermal inflation might be constrained or detected by small scale observations such as CMB distortions or 21cm hydrogen line observations.

Effective field theory of cosmological perturbations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piazza, Federico; Vernizzi, Filippo

2013-01-01

The effective field theory of cosmological perturbations stems from considering a cosmological background solution as a state displaying spontaneous breaking of time translations and (adiabatic) perturbations as the related Nambu–Goldstone modes. With this insight, one can systematically develop a theory for the cosmological perturbations during inflation and, with minor modifications, also describe in full generality the gravitational interactions of dark energy, which are relevant for late-time cosmology. The formalism displays a unique set of Lagrangian operators containing an increasing number of cosmological perturbations and derivatives. We give an introductory description of the unitary gauge formalism for theories with broken gauge symmetry—that allows us to write down the most general Lagrangian—and of the Stückelberg ‘trick’—that allows to recover gauge invariance and to make the scalar field explicit. We show how to apply this formalism to gravity and cosmology and we reproduce the detailed analysis of the action in the ADM variables. We also review some basic applications to inflation and dark energy. (paper)

Effective field theory of cosmological perturbations

Science.gov (United States)

Piazza, Federico; Vernizzi, Filippo

2013-11-01

The effective field theory of cosmological perturbations stems from considering a cosmological background solution as a state displaying spontaneous breaking of time translations and (adiabatic) perturbations as the related Nambu-Goldstone modes. With this insight, one can systematically develop a theory for the cosmological perturbations during inflation and, with minor modifications, also describe in full generality the gravitational interactions of dark energy, which are relevant for late-time cosmology. The formalism displays a unique set of Lagrangian operators containing an increasing number of cosmological perturbations and derivatives. We give an introductory description of the unitary gauge formalism for theories with broken gauge symmetry—that allows us to write down the most general Lagrangian—and of the Stückelberg ‘trick’—that allows to recover gauge invariance and to make the scalar field explicit. We show how to apply this formalism to gravity and cosmology and we reproduce the detailed analysis of the action in the ADM variables. We also review some basic applications to inflation and dark energy.

Extended inflation with nonminimally coupled inflation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panchapakesan, N.; Sethi, S.K.

1992-01-01

In this paper, an extended inflation model, in which the inflation field is nonminimally coupled to the gravity, is discussed. It is shown that the nucleation rate of bubbles, during a phase transition in the inflaton field, can increase as the transition proceeds for a wide range of parameters of the inflaton potential. The bounce action for three possible cases - the strong gravity regime, the thick-walled Coleman-DeLuccia bubbles and the thin-walled bubbles - is evaluated. The resulting bubble distribution for all the cases is shown to be in conformity with cosmological constraints for ω < 500

The Dirac-Milne cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Benoit-Lévy, Aurélien; Chardin, Gabriel

2014-05-01

We study an unconventional cosmology, in which we investigate the consequences that antigravity would pose to cosmology. We present the main characteristics of the Dirac-Milne Universe, a cosmological model where antimatter has a negative active gravitational mass. In this non-standard Universe, separate domains of matter and antimatter coexist at our epoch without annihilation, separated by a gravitationally induced depletion zone. We show that this cosmology does not require a priori the Dark Matter and Dark Energy components of the standard model of cosmology. Additionally, inflation becomes an unnecessary ingredient. Investigating this model, we show that the classical cosmological tests such as primordial nucleosynthesis, Type Ia supernovæ and Cosmic Microwave Background are surprisingly concordant.

Inflation with superstrings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, P.; Chicago Univ., IL

1986-01-01

Cosmological solutions with three exponentially expanding space dimensions in the N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills supergravity system are found under the assumption of gluino and ''subgravitino'' condensation. The potential has a long flat region providing sufficient inflation. (orig.)

The Philosophy of Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Chamcham, Khalil; Silk, Joseph; Barrow, John D.; Saunders, Simon

2017-04-01

Part I. Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology: 1. Cosmology, cosmologia and the testing of cosmological theories George F. R. Ellis; 2. Black holes, cosmology and the passage of time: three problems at the limits of science Bernard Carr; 3. Moving boundaries? - comments on the relationship between philosophy and cosmology Claus Beisbart; 4. On the question why there exists something rather than nothing Roderich Tumulka; Part II. Structures in the Universe and the Structure of Modern Cosmology: 5. Some generalities about generality John D. Barrow; 6. Emergent structures of effective field theories Jean-Philippe Uzan; 7. Cosmological structure formation Joel R. Primack; 8. Formation of galaxies Joseph Silk; Part III. Foundations of Cosmology: Gravity and the Quantum: 9. The observer strikes back James Hartle and Thomas Hertog; 10. Testing inflation Chris Smeenk; 11. Why Boltzmann brains do not fluctuate into existence from the de Sitter vacuum Kimberly K. Boddy, Sean M. Carroll and Jason Pollack; 12. Holographic inflation revised Tom Banks; 13. Progress and gravity: overcoming divisions between general relativity and particle physics and between physics and HPS J. Brian Pitts; Part IV. Quantum Foundations and Quantum Gravity: 14. Is time's arrow perspectival? Carlo Rovelli; 15. Relational quantum cosmology Francesca Vidotto; 16. Cosmological ontology and epistemology Don N. Page; 17. Quantum origin of cosmological structure and dynamical reduction theories Daniel Sudarsky; 18. Towards a novel approach to semi-classical gravity Ward Struyve; Part V. Methodological and Philosophical Issues: 19. Limits of time in cosmology Svend E. Rugh and Henrik Zinkernagel; 20. Self-locating priors and cosmological measures Cian Dorr and Frank Arntzenius; 21. On probability and cosmology: inference beyond data? Martin Sahlén; 22. Testing the multiverse: Bayes, fine-tuning and typicality Luke A. Barnes; 23. A new perspective on Einstein's philosophy of cosmology Cormac O

Primordial inflation and the monopole problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olive, K.A.; Seckel, D.

1984-01-01

This chapter discusses the cosmological abundance of magnetic monopoles in locally supersymmetry grand unified theories (GUTs) and primordial inflation. It is shown how the magnetic monopole problem can be solved in variants of broken N=1 supergravity primordial inflation. The monopole problem and its solution in inflationary models is reviewed. It is demonstrated that the monopole problem can be solved by coupling primordial inflation to supersymmetric SU(5) breaking

Ultracompact Minihalos as Probes of Inflationary Cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslanyan, Grigor; Price, Layne C; Adams, Jenni; Bringmann, Torsten; Clark, Hamish A; Easther, Richard; Lewis, Geraint F; Scott, Pat

2016-09-30

Cosmological inflation generates primordial density perturbations on all scales, including those far too small to contribute to the cosmic microwave background. At these scales, isolated ultracompact minihalos of dark matter can form well before standard structure formation, if the perturbations have sufficient amplitude. Minihalos affect pulsar timing data and are potentially bright sources of gamma rays. The resulting constraints significantly extend the observable window of inflation in the presence of cold dark matter, coupling two of the key problems in modern cosmology.

Sneutrino Inflation with $\\alpha$-attractors

CERN Document Server

Kallosh, Renata; Roest, Diederik; Wrase, Timm

2016-11-22

Sneutrino inflation employs the fermionic partners of the inflaton and stabilizer field as right-handed neutrinos to realize the seesaw mechanism for light neutrino masses. A crucial ingredient in existing constructions for sneutrino (multi-)natural inflation is an unbroken discrete shift symmetry. We demonstrate that a similar construction applies to $\\alpha$-attractor models. In this case the hyperbolic geometry protects the neutrino Yukawa couplings to the inflaton field, and the masses of leptons and Higgs fields, from blowing up when the inflaton is super-Planckian. We find that the predictions for $n_s$ and $r$ for $\\alpha$-attractor cosmological models, compatible with the current cosmological data, are preserved in the presence of the neutrino sector.

Curvaton as dark matter with secondary inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Jinn-Ouk; Kitajima, Naoya [Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Pohang 37673 (Korea, Republic of); Terada, Takahiro, E-mail: jinn-ouk.gong@apctp.org, E-mail: naoya.kitajima@apctp.org, E-mail: terada@kias.re.kr [Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-01

We consider a novel cosmological scenario in which a curvaton is long-lived and plays the role of cold dark matter (CDM) in the presence of a short, secondary inflation. Non-trivial evolution of the large scale cosmological perturbation in the curvaton scenario can affect the duration of the short term inflation, resulting in the inhomogeneous end of inflation. Non-linear parameters of the curvature perturbation are predicted to be f {sub NL} ≈ 5/4 and g {sub NL} ≈ 0. The curvaton abundance can be well diluted by the short-term inflation and accordingly, it does not have to decay into the Standard Model particles. Then the curvaton can account for the present CDM with the isocurvature perturbation being sufficiently suppressed because both the adiabatic and CDM isocurvature perturbations have the same origin. As an explicit example, we consider the thermal inflation scenario and a string axion as a candidate for this curvaton-dark matter. We further discuss possibilities to identify the curvaton-dark matter with the QCD axion.

Inflationary Axion Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Wilczek, Frank; Turner, Michael S.

1990-09-01

If Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is broken after inflation, the initial axion angle is a random variable on cosmological scales; based on this fact, estimates of the relic-axion mass density give too large a value if the axion mass is less than about 10-6 eV. This bound can be evaded if the Universe underwent inflation after PQ symmetry breaking and if the observable Universe happens to be a region where the initial axion angle was atypically small, .1 . (ma/10-6eV)0.59. We show consideration of fluctuations induced during inflation severely constrains the latter alternative.

No-scale inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, John; Garcia, Marcos A. G.; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V.; Olive, Keith A.

2016-05-01

Supersymmetry is the most natural framework for physics above the TeV scale, and the corresponding framework for early-Universe cosmology, including inflation, is supergravity. No-scale supergravity emerges from generic string compactifications and yields a non-negative potential, and is therefore a plausible framework for constructing models of inflation. No-scale inflation yields naturally predictions similar to those of the Starobinsky model based on R+{R}2 gravity, with a tilted spectrum of scalar perturbations: {n}s∼ 0.96, and small values of the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r\\lt 0.1, as favoured by Planck and other data on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Detailed measurements of the CMB may provide insights into the embedding of inflation within string theory as well as its links to collider physics.

No-Scale Inflation

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V.; Olive, Keith A.

2016-01-01

Supersymmetry is the most natural framework for physics above the TeV scale, and the corresponding framework for early-Universe cosmology, including inflation, is supergravity. No-scale supergravity emerges from generic string compactifications and yields a non-negative potential, and is therefore a plausible framework for constructing models of inflation. No-scale inflation yields naturally predictions similar to those of the Starobinsky model based on $R + R^2$ gravity, with a tilted spectrum of scalar perturbations: $n_s \\sim 0.96$, and small values of the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio $r < 0.1$, as favoured by Planck and other data on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Detailed measurements of the CMB may provide insights into the embedding of inflation within string theory as well as its links to collider physics.

An introduction to modern cosmology

CERN Document Server

Liddle, Andrew

2015-01-01

An Introduction to Modern Cosmology Third Edition is an accessible account of modern cosmological ideas. The Big Bang Cosmology is explored, looking at its observational successes in explaining the expansion of the Universe, the existence and properties of the cosmic microwave background, and the origin of light elements in the universe. Properties of the very early Universe are also covered, including the motivation for a rapid period of expansion known as cosmological inflation. The third edition brings this established undergraduate textbook up-to-date with the rapidly evolving observation

Unifying inflation with late-time acceleration by a BIonic system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sepehri, Alireza, E-mail: alireza.sepehri@uk.ac.ir [Faculty of Physics, Shahid Bahonar University, P.O. Box 76175, Kerman (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rahaman, Farook, E-mail: rahaman@iucaa.ernet.in [Department of Mathematics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal (India); Setare, Mohammad Reza, E-mail: rezakord@ipm.ir [Department of Science, Campus of Bijar, University of Kurdistan, Bijar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Pradhan, Anirudh, E-mail: pradhan@iucaa.ernet.in [Department of Mathematics, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura-281 406, U.P. (India); Capozziello, Salvatore, E-mail: capozziello@na.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Napoli “Federico II”, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); INFN Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, Edificio G, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); Gran Sasso Science Institute (INFN), Viale F. Crispi, 7, I-67100 L' Aquila (Italy); Sardar, Iftikar Hossain, E-mail: iftikar.spm@gmail.com [Department of Mathematics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal (India)

2015-07-30

We propose a cosmological model that unifies inflation, deceleration and acceleration phases of expansion history by a BIonic system. At the beginning, there are k black fundamental strings that transited to the BIon configuration at a given corresponding point. Here, two coupled universes, brane and antibrane, are created interacting each other through a wormhole and inflate. With decreasing temperature, the energy of this wormhole flows into the universe branes and leads to inflation. After a short time, the wormhole evaporates, the inflation ends and a deceleration epoch starts. By approaching the brane and antibrane universes together, a tachyon is born, grows and causes the creation of a new wormhole. At this time, the brane and antibrane universes result connected again and the late-time acceleration era of the universe begins. We compare our model with previous unified phantom models and observational data obtaining some cosmological parameters like temperature in terms of time. We also find that deceleration parameter is negative during inflation and late-time acceleration epochs, while it is positive during the deceleration era. This means that the model is consistent, in principle, with cosmological observations.

Unifying inflation with late-time acceleration by a BIonic system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Sepehri

2015-07-01

Full Text Available We propose a cosmological model that unifies inflation, deceleration and acceleration phases of expansion history by a BIonic system. At the beginning, there are k black fundamental strings that transited to the BIon configuration at a given corresponding point. Here, two coupled universes, brane and antibrane, are created interacting each other through a wormhole and inflate. With decreasing temperature, the energy of this wormhole flows into the universe branes and leads to inflation. After a short time, the wormhole evaporates, the inflation ends and a deceleration epoch starts. By approaching the brane and antibrane universes together, a tachyon is born, grows and causes the creation of a new wormhole. At this time, the brane and antibrane universes result connected again and the late-time acceleration era of the universe begins. We compare our model with previous unified phantom models and observational data obtaining some cosmological parameters like temperature in terms of time. We also find that deceleration parameter is negative during inflation and late-time acceleration epochs, while it is positive during the deceleration era. This means that the model is consistent, in principle, with cosmological observations.

Unifying inflation with late-time acceleration by a BIonic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sepehri, Alireza; Rahaman, Farook; Setare, Mohammad Reza; Pradhan, Anirudh; Capozziello, Salvatore; Sardar, Iftikar Hossain

2015-01-01

We propose a cosmological model that unifies inflation, deceleration and acceleration phases of expansion history by a BIonic system. At the beginning, there are k black fundamental strings that transited to the BIon configuration at a given corresponding point. Here, two coupled universes, brane and antibrane, are created interacting each other through a wormhole and inflate. With decreasing temperature, the energy of this wormhole flows into the universe branes and leads to inflation. After a short time, the wormhole evaporates, the inflation ends and a deceleration epoch starts. By approaching the brane and antibrane universes together, a tachyon is born, grows and causes the creation of a new wormhole. At this time, the brane and antibrane universes result connected again and the late-time acceleration era of the universe begins. We compare our model with previous unified phantom models and observational data obtaining some cosmological parameters like temperature in terms of time. We also find that deceleration parameter is negative during inflation and late-time acceleration epochs, while it is positive during the deceleration era. This means that the model is consistent, in principle, with cosmological observations

Cosmological horizons, quintessence and string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaloper, Nemanja

2003-01-01

String theory is presently the best candidate for a quantum theory of gravity unified with other forces. It is natural to hope that applications of string theory to cosmology may shed new light on the cosmological conundra, such as singularities, initial conditions, cosmological constant problem and the origin of inflation. Before we can apply string theory to cosmology, there are important conceptual and practical problems which must be addressed. We have reviewed here some of these problems, related to how one defines string theory in a cosmological setting. (author)

Quantum cosmology of classically constrained gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabadadze, Gregory; Shang Yanwen

2006-01-01

In [G. Gabadadze, Y. Shang, hep-th/0506040] we discussed a classically constrained model of gravity. This theory contains known solutions of General Relativity (GR), and admits solutions that are absent in GR. Here we study cosmological implications of some of these new solutions. We show that a spatially-flat de Sitter universe can be created from 'nothing'. This universe has boundaries, and its total energy equals to zero. Although the probability to create such a universe is exponentially suppressed, it favors initial conditions suitable for inflation. Then we discuss a finite-energy solution with a nonzero cosmological constant and zero space-time curvature. There is no tunneling suppression to fluctuate into this state. We show that for a positive cosmological constant this state is unstable-it can rapidly transition to a de Sitter universe providing a new unsuppressed channel for inflation. For a negative cosmological constant the space-time flat solutions is stable.

Inflation from supersymmetry breaking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antoniadis, I. [UMR CNRS 7589 Sorbonne Universites, UPMC Paris 6, LPTHE, Paris (France); University of Bern, Albert Einstein Center, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Bern (Switzerland); Chatrabhuti, A.; Isono, H.; Knoops, R. [Chulalongkorn University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Pathumwan, Bangkok (Thailand)

2017-11-15

We explore the possibility that inflation is driven by supersymmetry breaking with the superpartner of the goldstino (sgoldstino) playing the role of the inflaton. Moreover, we impose an R-symmetry that allows one to satisfy easily the slow-roll conditions, avoiding the so-called η-problem, and leads to two different classes of small-field inflation models; they are characterised by an inflationary plateau around the maximum of the scalar potential, where R-symmetry is either restored or spontaneously broken, with the inflaton rolling down to a minimum describing the present phase of our Universe. To avoid the Goldstone boson and be left with a single (real) scalar field (the inflaton), R-symmetry is gauged with the corresponding gauge boson becoming massive. This framework generalises a model studied recently by the present authors, with the inflaton identified by the string dilaton and R-symmetry together with supersymmetry restored at weak coupling, at infinity of the dilaton potential. The presence of the D-term allows a tuning of the vacuum energy at the minimum. The proposed models agree with cosmological observations and predict a tensor-to-scalar ratio of primordial perturbations 10{sup -9} inflation scale 10{sup 10} GeV

Eternal inflation

CERN Document Server

Winitzki, Sergei

2009-01-01

This volume is the only monograph covering the exciting and dazzling recent developments in quantum cosmology, including the theory of the "multiverse" and eternal inflation pioneered by A Vilenkin, A Linde, S W Hawking, and others. Written by a leading expert in the field known for his depth and clarity of presentation, the volume presents an overview of 20 years of development of the theory of eternal inflation as well as a comprehensive, research-level introduction into the current methods and problems. This volume is invaluable for researchers as a definitive reference in the rapidly devel

Flipped GUT inflation

OpenAIRE

Ellis, John; Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Harz, Julia; Huang, Wei-Chih

2015-01-01

We analyse the prospects for constructing hybrid models of inflation that provide a dynamical realisation of the apparent closeness between the supersymmetric GUT scale and the possible scale of cosmological inflation. In the first place, we consider models based on the flipped SU(5)×U(1) gauge group, which has no magnetic monopoles. In one model, the inflaton is identified with a sneutrino field, and in the other model it is a gauge singlet. In both cases we find regions of the model paramet...

Symmetry and inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chimento, Luis P.

2002-01-01

We find the group of symmetry transformations under which the Einstein equations for the spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe are form invariant. They relate the energy density and the pressure of the fluid to the expansion rate. We show that inflation can be obtained from nonaccelerated scenarios by a symmetry transformation. We derive the transformation rule for the spectrum and spectral index of the curvature perturbations. Finally, the group is extended to investigate inflation in the anisotropic Bianchi type-I spacetime and the brane-world cosmology

Cosmology for high energy physicists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, A.

1987-11-01

The standard big bang model of cosmology is presented. Although not perfect, its many successes make it a good starting point for most discussions of cosmology. Places are indicated where well understood laboratory physics is incorporated into the big bang, leading to successful predictions. Much less established aspects of high energy physics and some of the new ideas they have introduced into the field of cosmology are discussed, such as string theory, inflation and monopoles. 49 refs., 5 figs

Dual Inflation

CERN Document Server

García-Bellido, J

1998-01-01

We propose a new model of inflation based on the soft-breaking of N=2 supersymmetric SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. The advantage of such a model is the fact that we can write an exact expression for the effective scalar potential, including non-perturbative effects, which preserves the analyticity and duality properties of the Seiberg-Witten solution. We find that the scalar condensate that plays the role of the inflaton can drive a long period of cosmological expansion, produce the right amount of temperature anisotropies in the microwave background, and end inflation when the monopole acquires a vacuum expectation value. Duality properties relate the weak coupling Higgs region where inflation takes place with the strong coupling monopole region, where reheating occurs, creating particles corresponding to the light degrees of freedom in the true vacuum.

Effective dynamics of the closed loop quantum cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mielczarek, Jakub; Szydłowski, Marek; Hrycyna, Orest

2009-01-01

In this paper we study dynamics of the closed FRW model with holonomy corrections coming from loop quantum cosmology. We consider models with a scalar field and cosmological constant. In case of the models with cosmological constant and free scalar field, dynamics reduce to 2D system and analysis of solutions simplify. If only free scalar field is included then universe undergoes non-singular oscillations. For the model with cosmological constant, different behaviours are obtained depending on the value of Λ. If the value of Λ is sufficiently small, bouncing solutions with asymptotic de Sitter stages are obtained. However if the value of Λ exceeds critical value Λ c = 3 1/2 m Pl 2 /2πγ 3 ≅ 21m Pl 2 then solutions become oscillatory. Subsequently we study models with a massive scalar field. We find that this model possess generic inflationary attractors. In particular field, initially situated in the bottom of the potential, is driven up during the phase of quantum bounce. This subsequently leads to the phase of inflation. Finally we find that, comparing with the flat case, effects of curvature do not change qualitatively dynamics close to the phase of bounce. Possible effects of inverse volume corrections are also briefly discussed

Hybrid inflation in the complex plane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Kamada, K.; Schmitz, K.

2014-04-01

Supersymmetric hybrid inflation is an exquisite framework to connect inflationary cosmology to particle physics at the scale of grand unification. Ending in a phase transition associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking, it can naturally explain the generation of entropy, matter and dark matter. Coupling F-term hybrid inflation to soft supersymmetry breaking distorts the rotational invariance in the complex inflaton plane - an important fact, which has been neglected in all previous studies. Based on the δN formalism, we analyze the cosmological perturbations for the first time in the full two-field model, also taking into account the fast-roll dynamics at and after the end of inflation. As a consequence of the two-field nature of hybrid inflation, the predictions for the primordial fluctuations depend not only on the parameters of the Lagrangian, but are eventually fixed by the choice of the inflationary trajectory. Recognizing hybrid inflation as a two-field model resolves two shortcomings often times attributed to it: The fine-tuning problem of the initial conditions is greatly relaxed and a spectral index in accordance with the PLANCK data can be achieved in a large part of the parameter space without the aid of supergravity corrections. Our analysis can be easily generalized to other (including large-field) scenarios of inflation in which soft supersymmetry breaking transforms an initially single-field model into a multi-field model.

Inflation driven by single geometric tachyon with D-brane orbiting around NS5-branes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Pyung Seong; Jun, Gyeong Yun; Panigrahi, Kamal L.; Sami, M.

2012-01-01

We investigate models in which inflation is driven by a single geometrical tachyon. We assume that the D-brane as a probe brane in the background of NS5-branes has non-zero angular momentum which is shown to play similar role as the number of the scalar fields of the assisted inflation. We demonstrate that the angular momentum corrected effective potential allows to account for the observational constraint on COBE normalization, spectral index n S and the tensor to scalar ratio of perturbations consistent with WMAP seven years data.

A taste of cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verde, L.

2011-01-01

This is the summary of two lectures that aim to give an overview of cosmology. I will not try to be toa rigorous in derivations, nor to give a full historical overview. The idea is to provide a 'taste' of cosmology and some of the interesting topics it covers. The standard cosmological model is presented and I highlight the successes of cosmology over the past decade or so. Keys to the development of the standard cosmological model are observations of the cosmic microwave background and of large-scale structure, which are introduced. Inflation and dark energy and the outlook for the future are also discussed. Slides from the lectures are available from the school web site: physicschool.web.cern.ch/PhysicSchool/CLASHEP/CLASHEP2011/. (author)

A Taste of Cosmology

CERN Document Server

Verde, L.

2013-06-27

This is the summary of two lectures that aim to give an overview of cosmology. I will not try to be too rigorous in derivations, nor to give a full historical overview. The idea is to provide a "taste" of cosmology and some of the interesting topics it covers. The standard cosmological model is presented and I highlight the successes of cosmology over the past decade or so. Keys to the development of the standard cosmological model are observations of the cosmic microwave background and of large-scale structure, which are introduced. Inflation and dark energy and the outlook for the future are also discussed. Slides from the lectures are available from the school website: physicschool.web.cern.ch/PhysicSchool/CLASHEP/CLASHEP2011/.

Inflationary axion cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Wilczek, F.

1991-01-01

If Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is broken after inflation, the initial axion angle is a random variable on cosmological scales; based on this fact, estimates of the relic-axion mass density give too large a value if the axion mass is less than about 10 -6 eV. This bound can be evaded if the Universe underwent inflation after PQ symmetry breaking and if the observable Universe happens to be a region where the initial axion angle was atypically small, θ 1 approx-lt[m a /10 -6 eV 0.59 .] We show consideration of fluctuations induced during inflation severely constrains the latter alternative

The hybrid inflation waterfall and the primordial curvature perturbation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyth, David H.

2012-01-01

Without demanding a specific form for the inflaton potential, we obtain an estimate of the contribution to the curvature perturbation generated during the linear era of the hybrid inflation waterfall. The spectrum of this contribution peaks at some wavenumber k = k * , and goes like k 3 for k * , making it typically negligible on cosmological scales. The scale k * can be outside the horizon at the end of inflation, in which case ζ = −(g 2 −(g 2 )) with g gaussian. Taking this into account, the cosmological bound on the abundance of black holes is likely to be satisfied if the curvaton mass m much bigger than the Hubble parameter H, but is likely to be violated if m∼< H. Coming to the contribution to ζ from the rest of the waterfall, we are led to consider the use of the 'end-of-inflation' formula, giving the contribution to ζ generated during a sufficiently sharp transition from nearly-exponential inflation to non-inflation, and we state for the first time the criterion for the transition to be sufficiently sharp. Our formulas are applied to supersymmetric GUT inflation and to supernatural/running-mass inflation

Cosmology in Gauge Field Theory and String Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Compean, H

2005-01-01

the dark matter proposal in terms of the WIMPS arising in supersymmetric gauge theory, in particular, from the MSSM. A modern overview of the different mechanisms involved in the process of inflation is the aim of chapter 7. This is a preliminary to the well written discussion of inflation in the context of four-dimensional supergravity in chapter 8. In the remaining chapters, the authors focus on more recent subjects that are the arena of intense research, such as cosmology and black holes in string theory. From the different proposals in the literature, the authors have captured the more basic and relevant material without engaging in discussion of any particular recent proposal, for instance, the new results of string compactifications with fluxes and their application to cosmological models or the study of cosmological models driven by tachyonic matter. Both are open problems. I have no doubt that this book will be valuable for students of high-energy physics and gravitation taking courses in modern aspects of cosmology, and for people preparing their PhD in this subject. The other books by the authors that I have mentioned have been present in introductory courses of the subject as text or reference books for many years. Their new book will surely follow this same fate. (book review)

Beyond the Standard Model of Cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, John; Nanopoulos, D. V.

2004-01-01

Recent cosmological observations of unprecented accuracy, by WMAP in particular, have established a 'Standard Model' of cosmology, just as LEP established the Standard Model of particle physics. Both Standard Models raise open questions whose answers are likely to be linked. The most fundamental problems in both particle physics and cosmology will be resolved only within a framework for Quantum Gravity, for which the only game in town is string theory. We discuss novel ways to model cosmological inflation and late acceleration in a non-critical string approach, and discuss possible astrophysical tests

Can inflation explain the second law of thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, D.N.; Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park

1984-01-01

The inflationary model of the universe can explain several of the cosmological conundra that are mysteries in the standard hot big bang model. Paul Davies has suggested that inflation can also explain the second law of thermodynamics, which describes the time asymmetry of the universe. Here several difficulties with this suggestion are noted showing how the present inflationary models must assume the arrow of time rather than explaining it. If the second law is formulated as a consequence of the hypothesis that there were no long-range spatial correlations in the initial state of the universe, it is shown how some of the cosmological conundra might be explained even without inflation. But if the ultimate explanation is to include inflation, three essential elements remain to be demonstrated which are listed. (author)

Bianchi models and new inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Widrow, L.

1986-03-01

The promise of the inflationary Universe scenario is to free the present state of the Universe from extreme dependence on initial data. Paradoxically, inflation is usually analyzed in the context of the homogeneous and isotropic Robertson-Walker (RW) cosmological models. We show that all but a small subset of the homogeneous models (the Bianchi models) undergo inflation. Any initial anisotropy is so strongly damped that if sufficient inflation occurs to solve the flatness/horizon problems the Universe today would still be very isotropic. Some of the Bianchi models will eventually (in the exponentially distant future) become very anisotropic again. 15 refs

Frame-Covariant Formulation of Inflation in Scalar-Curvature Theories

CERN Document Server

Burns, Daniel; Pilaftsis, Apostolos

2016-01-01

We develop a frame-covariant formulation of inflation in the slow-roll approximation by generalizing the inflationary attractor solution for scalar-curvature theories. Our formulation gives rise to new generalized forms for the potential slow-roll parameters, which enable us to examine the effect of conformal transformations and inflaton reparameterizations in scalar-curvature theories. We find that cosmological observables, such as the power spectrum, the spectral indices and their runnings, can be expressed in a concise manner in terms of the generalized potential slow-roll parameters which depend on the scalar-curvature coupling function, the inflaton wavefunction, and the inflaton potential. We show how the cosmological observables of inflation are frame-invariant in this generalized potential slow-roll formalism, as long as the end-of-inflation condition is appropriately extended to become frame-invariant as well. We then apply our formalism to specific scenarios, such as the induced gravity inflation, H...

Horizon-preserving dualities and perturbations in non-canonical scalar field cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geshnizjani, Ghazal; Kinney, William H.; Dizgah, Azadeh Moradinezhad

2012-01-01

We generalize the cosmological duality between inflation and cyclic contraction under the interchange a↔H to the case of non-canonical scalar field theories with varying speed of sound. The single duality in the canonical case generalizes to a family of three dualities constructed to leave the cosmological acoustic horizon invariant. We find three classes of models: (I) DBI inflation, (II) the non-canonical generalization of cyclic contraction, and (III) a new cosmological solution with rapidly decreasing speed of sound and relatively slowly growing scale factor, which we dub stalled cosmology. We construct dual analogs to the inflationary slow roll approximation, and solve for the curvature perturbation in all three cases. Both cyclic contraction and stalled cosmology predict a strongly blue spectrum for the curvature perturbations inconsistent with observations

No hair theorem for inhomogeneous cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, L.G.; Stein-Schabes, J.A.

1986-03-01

We show that under very general conditions any inhomogeneous cosmological model with a positive cosmological constant, that can be described in a synchronous reference system will tend asymptotically in time towards the de Sitter solution. This is shown to be relevant in the context of inflationary models as it makes inflation very weakly dependent on initial conditions. 8 refs

Inflationary cosmology: First 30+ years

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Katsuhiko; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2015-08-01

Starting with an account of historical developments in Japan and Russia, we review inflationary cosmology and its basic predictions in a pedagogical manner. We also introduce the generalized G-inflation model, in terms of which all the known single-field inflation models may be described. This formalism allows us to analyze and compare the many inflationary models that have been proposed simultaneously and within a common framework. Finally, current observational constraints on inflation are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the sensitivity of the inferred constraints to the choice of datasets used.

Higgs cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Rajantie, Arttu

2018-01-01

The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 and other results from the Large Hadron Collider have confirmed the standard model of particle physics as the correct theory of elementary particles and their interactions up to energies of several TeV. Remarkably, the theory may even remain valid all the way to the Planck scale of quantum gravity, and therefore it provides a solid theoretical basis for describing the early Universe. Furthermore, the Higgs field itself has unique properties that may have allowed it to play a central role in the evolution of the Universe, from inflation to cosmological phase transitions and the origin of both baryonic and dark matter, and possibly to determine its ultimate fate through the electroweak vacuum instability. These connections between particle physics and cosmology have given rise to a new and growing field of Higgs cosmology, which promises to shed new light on some of the most puzzling questions about the Universe as new data from particle physics experiments and cosmological observations become available. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue `Higgs cosmology'.

The hybrid inflation waterfall and the primordial curvature perturbation

Science.gov (United States)

Lyth, David H.

2012-05-01

Without demanding a specific form for the inflaton potential, we obtain an estimate of the contribution to the curvature perturbation generated during the linear era of the hybrid inflation waterfall. The spectrum of this contribution peaks at some wavenumber k = k*, and goes like k3 for k Lt k*, making it typically negligible on cosmological scales. The scale k* can be outside the horizon at the end of inflation, in which case ζ = -(g2-langg2rang) with g gaussian. Taking this into account, the cosmological bound on the abundance of black holes is likely to be satisfied if the curvaton mass m much bigger than the Hubble parameter H, but is likely to be violated if mlsimH. Coming to the contribution to ζ from the rest of the waterfall, we are led to consider the use of the `end-of-inflation' formula, giving the contribution to ζ generated during a sufficiently sharp transition from nearly-exponential inflation to non-inflation, and we state for the first time the criterion for the transition to be sufficiently sharp. Our formulas are applied to supersymmetric GUT inflation and to supernatural/running-mass inflation. A preliminary version of this paper appeared as arXiv:1107.1681.

The hybrid inflation waterfall and the primordial curvature perturbation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyth, David H., E-mail: d.lyth@lancaster.ac.uk [Consortium for Fundamental Physics, Cosmology and Astroparticle Group, Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB (United Kingdom)

2012-05-01

Without demanding a specific form for the inflaton potential, we obtain an estimate of the contribution to the curvature perturbation generated during the linear era of the hybrid inflation waterfall. The spectrum of this contribution peaks at some wavenumber k = k{sub *}, and goes like k{sup 3} for k << k{sub *}, making it typically negligible on cosmological scales. The scale k{sub *} can be outside the horizon at the end of inflation, in which case ζ = −(g{sup 2}−(g{sup 2})) with g gaussian. Taking this into account, the cosmological bound on the abundance of black holes is likely to be satisfied if the curvaton mass m much bigger than the Hubble parameter H, but is likely to be violated if m∼inflation' formula, giving the contribution to ζ generated during a sufficiently sharp transition from nearly-exponential inflation to non-inflation, and we state for the first time the criterion for the transition to be sufficiently sharp. Our formulas are applied to supersymmetric GUT inflation and to supernatural/running-mass inflation.

The influence of super-horizon scales on cosmological observables generated during inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Matarrese, Sabino; Musso, Marcello A.; Riotto, Antonio

2004-05-01

Using the techniques of out-of-equilibrium field theory, we study the influence on properties of cosmological perturbations generated during inflation on observable scales coming from fluctuations corresponding today to scales much bigger than the present Hubble radius. We write the effective action for the coarse grained inflaton perturbations, integrating out the sub-horizon modes, which manifest themselves as a coloured noise and lead to memory effects. Using the simple model of a scalar field with cubic self-interactions evolving in a fixed de Sitter background, we evaluate the two- and three-point correlation function on observable scales. Our basic procedure shows that perturbations do preserve some memory of the super-horizon scale dynamics, in the form of scale dependent imprints in the statistical moments. In particular, we find a blue tilt of the power spectrum on large scales, in agreement with the recent results of the WMAP collaboration which show a suppression of the lower multipoles in the cosmic microwave background anisotropies, and a substantial enhancement of the intrinsic non-Gaussianity on large scales.

Probing Inflation via Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2008-01-01

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has been a rich source of information about the early Universe. Detailed measurements of its spectrum and spatial distribution have helped solidify the Standard Model of Cosmology. However, many questions still remain. Standard Cosmology does not explain why the early Universe is geometrically flat, expanding, homogenous across the horizon, and riddled with a small anisotropy that provides the seed for structure formation. Inflation has been proposed as a mechanism that naturally solves these problems. In addition to solving these problems, inflation is expected to produce a spectrum of gravitational waves that will create a particular polarization pattern on the CMB. Detection of this polarized signal is a key test of inflation and will give a direct measurement of the energy scale at which inflation takes place. This polarized signature of inflation is expected to be -9 orders of magnitude below the 2.7 K monopole level of the CMB. This measurement will require good control of systematic errors, an array of many detectors having the requisite sensitivity, and a reliable method for removing polarized foregrounds, and nearly complete sky coverage. Ultimately, this measurement is likely to require a space mission. To this effect, technology and mission concept development are currently underway.

New inflation revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandenberger, R.H.

1986-01-01

Cosmological phase transitions are examined using a new approach based on the dynamical analysis of the equations of motion of quantum fields rather than on static effective potential considerations. In many models the universe enters a period of exponential expansion required for an inflationary cosmology. Analytical methods show that this will be the case if the interaction rate due to quantum field nonlinearities is small compared to the expansion rate of the universe. They derive a heuristic criterion for the maximal value of the coupling constant for which they expect inflation. The prediction is in good agreement with numerical results

Constraining holographic cosmology using Planck data

Science.gov (United States)

Afshordi, Niayesh; Gould, Elizabeth; Skenderis, Kostas

2017-06-01

Holographic cosmology offers a novel framework for describing the very early Universe in which cosmological predictions are expressed in terms of the observables of a three-dimensional quantum field theory (QFT). This framework includes conventional slow-roll inflation, which is described in terms of a strongly coupled QFT, but it also allows for qualitatively new models for the very early Universe, where the dual QFT may be weakly coupled. The new models describe a universe which is nongeometric at early times. While standard slow-roll inflation leads to a (near-) power-law primordial power spectrum, perturbative super-renormalizable QFTs yield a new holographic spectral shape. Here, we compare the two predictions against cosmological observations. We use CosmoMC to determine the best fit parameters, and MultiNest for Bayesian evidence, comparing the likelihoods. We find that the dual QFT should be nonperturbative at the very low multipoles (l ≲30 ), while for higher multipoles (l ≳30 ) the new holographic model, based on perturbative QFT, fits the data just as well as the standard power-law spectrum assumed in Λ CDM cosmology. This finding opens the door to applications of nonperturbative QFT techniques, such as lattice simulations, to observational cosmology on gigaparsec scales and beyond.

Complex Hybrid Inflation and Baryogenesis

OpenAIRE

Delepine, David; Martinez, Carlos; Urena-Lopez, L. Arturo

2006-01-01

We propose a hybrid inflation model with a complex waterfall field which contains an interaction term that breaks the U(1) global symmetry associated to the waterfall field charge. We show that the asymmetric evolution of the real and imaginary parts of the complex field during the phase transition at the end of inflation translates into a charge asymmetry. The latter strongly depends on the vev of the waterfall field, which is well constrained by diverse cosmological observations.

Primordial magnetic fields from a non-singular bouncing cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Membiela, Federico Agustín

2014-08-01

Although inflation is a natural candidate to generate the lengths of coherence of magnetic fields needed to explain current observations, it needs to break conformal invariance of electromagnetism to obtain significant magnetic amplitudes. Of the simplest realizations are the kinetically-coupled theories f2(ϕ)FμνF (or IFF theories). However, these are known to suffer from electric fields backreaction or the strong coupling problem. In this work we shall confirm that such class of theories are problematic to support magnetogenesis during inflationary cosmology. On the contrary, we show that a bouncing cosmology with a contracting phase dominated by an equation of state with p>-ρ/3 can support magnetogenesis, evading the backreaction/strong-coupling problem. Finally, we study safe magnetogenesis in a particular bouncing model with an ekpyrotic-like contracting phase. In this case we found that f2(ϕ)F2-instabilities might arise during the final kinetic-driven expanding phase for steep ekpyrotic potentials.

Primordial magnetic fields from a non-singular bouncing cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Membiela, Federico Agustín, E-mail: membiela@mdp.edu.ar [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rua Xavier Sigaud, 150, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNMdP, Deán Funes 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata (Argentina)

2014-08-15

Although inflation is a natural candidate to generate the lengths of coherence of magnetic fields needed to explain current observations, it needs to break conformal invariance of electromagnetism to obtain significant magnetic amplitudes. Of the simplest realizations are the kinetically-coupled theories f{sup 2}(ϕ)F{sub μν}F{sup μν} (or IFF theories). However, these are known to suffer from electric fields backreaction or the strong coupling problem. In this work we shall confirm that such class of theories are problematic to support magnetogenesis during inflationary cosmology. On the contrary, we show that a bouncing cosmology with a contracting phase dominated by an equation of state with p>−ρ/3 can support magnetogenesis, evading the backreaction/strong-coupling problem. Finally, we study safe magnetogenesis in a particular bouncing model with an ekpyrotic-like contracting phase. In this case we found that f{sup 2}(ϕ)F{sup 2}-instabilities might arise during the final kinetic-driven expanding phase for steep ekpyrotic potentials.

Primordial magnetic fields from a non-singular bouncing cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Membiela, Federico Agustín

2014-01-01

Although inflation is a natural candidate to generate the lengths of coherence of magnetic fields needed to explain current observations, it needs to break conformal invariance of electromagnetism to obtain significant magnetic amplitudes. Of the simplest realizations are the kinetically-coupled theories f 2 (ϕ)F μν F μν (or IFF theories). However, these are known to suffer from electric fields backreaction or the strong coupling problem. In this work we shall confirm that such class of theories are problematic to support magnetogenesis during inflationary cosmology. On the contrary, we show that a bouncing cosmology with a contracting phase dominated by an equation of state with p>−ρ/3 can support magnetogenesis, evading the backreaction/strong-coupling problem. Finally, we study safe magnetogenesis in a particular bouncing model with an ekpyrotic-like contracting phase. In this case we found that f 2 (ϕ)F 2 -instabilities might arise during the final kinetic-driven expanding phase for steep ekpyrotic potentials

Cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.

1987-01-01

If the universe stated from conditions of high temperature and density, there should have been a series of phase transitions associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking. The cosmological phase transitions could have observable consequences in the present Universe. Some of the consequences including the formation of topological defects and cosmological inflation are reviewed here. One of the most important tools in building particle physics models is the use of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). The proposal that there are underlying symmetries of nature that are not manifest in the vacuum is a crucial link in the unification of forces. Of particular interest for cosmology is the expectation that are the high temperatures of the big bang symmetries broken today will be restored, and that there are phase transitions to the broken state. The possibility that topological defects will be produced in the transition is the subject of this section. The possibility that the Universe will undergo inflation in a phase transition will be the subject of the next section. Before discussing the creation of topological defects in the phase transition, some general aspects of high-temperature restoration of symmetry and the development of the phase transition will be reviewed. 29 references, 1 figure, 1 table

Magnon Inflation: Slow Roll with Steep Potentials

CERN Document Server

Adshead, Peter; Burgess, C P; Hayman, Peter; Patil, Subodh P

2016-01-01

We find multi-scalar effective field theories (EFTs) that can achieve a slow inflationary roll despite having a scalar potential that does not satisfy the usual slow-roll condition (d V)^2 << V^2/Mp^2. They evade the usual slow-roll conditions on $V$ because their kinetic energies are dominated by single-derivative terms rather than the usual two-derivative terms. Single derivatives dominate during slow roll and so do not require a breakdown of the usual derivative expansion that underpins calculational control in much of cosmology. The presence of such terms requires some sort of UV Lorentz-symmetry breaking during inflation (besides the usual cosmological breaking). Chromo-natural inflation provides an example of a UV theory that can generate the multi-field single-derivative terms we consider, and we argue that the EFT we find indeed captures the slow-roll conditions for the background evolution for Chromo-natural inflation. We also show that our EFT can be understood as a multi-field generalization ...

Modified dispersion relations, inflation, and scale invariance

Science.gov (United States)

Bianco, Stefano; Friedhoff, Victor Nicolai; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

2018-02-01

For a certain type of modified dispersion relations, the vacuum quantum state for very short wavelength cosmological perturbations is scale-invariant and it has been suggested that this may be the source of the scale-invariance observed in the temperature anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. We point out that for this scenario to be possible, it is necessary to redshift these short wavelength modes to cosmological scales in such a way that the scale-invariance is not lost. This requires nontrivial background dynamics before the onset of standard radiation-dominated cosmology; we demonstrate that one possible solution is inflation with a sufficiently large Hubble rate, for this slow roll is not necessary. In addition, we also show that if the slow-roll condition is added to inflation with a large Hubble rate, then for any power law modified dispersion relation quantum vacuum fluctuations become nearly scale-invariant when they exit the Hubble radius.

Brane Inflation, Solitons and Cosmological Solutions: I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, P.

2005-01-25

In this paper we study various cosmological solutions for a D3/D7 system directly from M-theory with fluxes and M2-branes. In M-theory, these solutions exist only if we incorporate higher derivative corrections from the curvatures as well as G-fluxes. We take these corrections into account and study a number of toy cosmologies, including one with a novel background for the D3/D7 system whose supergravity solution can be completely determined. Our new background preserves all the good properties of the original model and opens up avenues to investigate cosmological effects from wrapped branes and brane-antibrane annihilation, to name a few. We also discuss in some detail semilocal defects with higher global symmetries, for example exceptional ones, that occur in a slightly different regime of our D3/D7 model. We show that the D3/D7 system does have the required ingredients to realize these configurations as non-topological solitons of the theory. These constructions also allow us to give a physical meaning to the existence of certain underlying homogeneous quaternionic Kahler manifolds.

Particle physics and inflationary cosmology

CERN Document Server

Linde, Andrei D

1990-01-01

This is the LaTeX version of my book "Particle Physics and Inflationary Cosmology'' (Harwood, Chur, Switzerland, 1990). I decided to put it to hep-th, to make it easily available. Many things happened during the 15 years since the time when it was written. In particular, we have learned a lot about the high temperature behavior in the electroweak theory and about baryogenesis. A discovery of the acceleration of the universe has changed the way we are thinking about the problem of the vacuum energy: Instead of trying to explain why it is zero, we are trying to understand why it is anomalously small. Recent cosmological observations have shown that the universe is flat, or almost exactly flat, and confirmed many other predictions of inflationary theory. Many new versions of this theory have been developed, including hybrid inflation and inflationary models based on string theory. There was a substantial progress in the theory of reheating of the universe after inflation, and in the theory of eternal inflation. ...

Davis Meeting on Cosmic Inflation

CERN Document Server

Kaloper, N; Knox, L; Cosmic Inflation

2003-01-01

The Davis Meeting on Cosmic Inflation marked an exciting milestone on the road to precision cosmology. This is the index page for the proceedings of the conference. Individual proceedings contributions, when they appear on this archive, are linked from this page.

State of the art in cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zel'dovich, Ya.B.

1983-01-01

The present state of the art in cosmology is under discussion. The general picture of the Universe evolution is presented, and its main stages are outlined. The prooess of formation of the large scale Universe structure is considered. The possibility of investigation into the ''inflation'' period of the ''very-very early Universe'' from the view point of theoretical physics is sown. It is noted that cosmology will become a complete science only when physics gives an exhaustive answer to all issues raised by cosmology

Finite canonical measure for nonsingular cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, Don N.

2011-01-01

The total canonical (Liouville-Henneaux-Gibbons-Hawking-Stewart) measure is finite for completely nonsingular Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker classical universes with a minimally coupled massive scalar field and a positive cosmological constant. For a cosmological constant very small in units of the square of the scalar field mass, most of the measure is for nearly de Sitter solutions with no inflation at a much more rapid rate. However, if one restricts to solutions in which the scalar field energy density is ever more than twice the equivalent energy density of the cosmological constant, then the number of e-folds of rapid inflation must be large, and the fraction of the measure is low in which the spatial curvature is comparable to the cosmological constant at the time when it is comparable to the energy density of the scalar field. The measure for such classical FLRWΛ-φ models with both a big bang and a big crunch is also finite. Only the solutions with a big bang that expand forever, or the time-reversed ones that contract from infinity to a big crunch, have infinite measure

Complex Hybrid Inflation and Baryogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delepine, David; Martinez, Carlos; Urena-Lopez, L. Arturo

2007-01-01

We propose a hybrid inflation model with a complex waterfall field which contains an interaction term that breaks the U(1) global symmetry associated with the waterfall field charge. We show that the asymmetric evolution of the real and imaginary parts of the complex field during the phase transition at the end of inflation translates into a charge asymmetry. The latter strongly depends on the vacuum expectation value of the waterfall field, which is well constrained by diverse cosmological observations

Complex hybrid inflation and baryogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Delepine, David; Martínez, Carlos; Ureña-López, L Arturo

2007-04-20

We propose a hybrid inflation model with a complex waterfall field which contains an interaction term that breaks the U(1) global symmetry associated with the waterfall field charge. We show that the asymmetric evolution of the real and imaginary parts of the complex field during the phase transition at the end of inflation translates into a charge asymmetry. The latter strongly depends on the vacuum expectation value of the waterfall field, which is well constrained by diverse cosmological observations.

Warm Inflation with Nonminimal Derivative Coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashidi, N.; Nozari, Kourosh; Shoukrani, M.

2014-01-01

We study the effects of the nonminimal derivative coupling on the dissipative dynamics of the warm inflation where the scalar field is nonminimally coupled to gravity via its kinetic term. We present a detailed calculation of the cosmological perturbations in this setup. We use the recent observational data from the joint data set of WMAP9 + BAO + H 0 and also the Planck satellite data to constrain our model parameters for natural and chaotic inflation potentials. We study also the levels of non-Gaussianity in this warm inflation model and we confront the result with recent observational data from the Planck satellite

Transdimensional physics and inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giudice, Gian F.; Kolb, Edward W.; Lesgourgues, Julien; Riotto, Antonio

2002-01-01

Within the framework of a five-dimensional brane world with a stabilized radion, we compute the cosmological perturbations generated during inflation and show that the perturbations are a powerful tool to probe the physics of extra dimensions. While we find that the power spectrum of scalar perturbations is unchanged, we show that the existence of the fifth dimension is imprinted on the spectrum of gravitational waves generated during inflation. In particular, we find that the tensor perturbations receive a correction proportional to (HR) 2 , where H is the Hubble expansion rate during inflation and R is the size of the extra dimension. We also generalize our findings to the case of several extra dimensions as well as to warped geometries

Transdimensional physics and inflation

CERN Document Server

Giudice, Gian Francesco; Lesgourgues, Julien; Riotto, Antonio; Giudice, Gian F.; Kolb, Edward W.; Lesgourgues, Julien; Riotto, Antonio

2002-01-01

Within the framework of a five-dimensional brane world with a stabilized radion, we compute the cosmological perturbations generated during inflation and show that the perturbations are a powerful tool to probe the physics of extra dimensions. While we find that the power spectrum of scalar perturbations is unchanged, we show that the existence of the fifth dimension is imprinted on the spectrum of gravitational waves generated during inflation. In particular, we find that the tensor perturbations receive a correction proportional to (HR)^2, where H is the Hubble expansion rate during inflation and R is the size of the extra dimension. We also generalize our findings to the case of several extra dimensions as well as to warped geometries.

The cosmological model of eternal inflation and the transition from chance to biological evolution in the history of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koonin Eugene V

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent developments in cosmology radically change the conception of the universe as well as the very notions of "probable" and "possible". The model of eternal inflation implies that all macroscopic histories permitted by laws of physics are repeated an infinite number of times in the infinite multiverse. In contrast to the traditional cosmological models of a single, finite universe, this worldview provides for the origin of an infinite number of complex systems by chance, even as the probability of complexity emerging in any given region of the multiverse is extremely low. This change in perspective has profound implications for the history of any phenomenon, and life on earth cannot be an exception. Hypothesis Origin of life is a chicken and egg problem: for biological evolution that is governed, primarily, by natural selection, to take off, efficient systems for replication and translation are required, but even barebones cores of these systems appear to be products of extensive selection. The currently favored (partial solution is an RNA world without proteins in which replication is catalyzed by ribozymes and which serves as the cradle for the translation system. However, the RNA world faces its own hard problems as ribozyme-catalyzed RNA replication remains a hypothesis and the selective pressures behind the origin of translation remain mysterious. Eternal inflation offers a viable alternative that is untenable in a finite universe, i.e., that a coupled system of translation and replication emerged by chance, and became the breakthrough stage from which biological evolution, centered around Darwinian selection, took off. A corollary of this hypothesis is that an RNA world, as a diverse population of replicating RNA molecules, might have never existed. In this model, the stage for Darwinian selection is set by anthropic selection of complex systems that rarely but inevitably emerge by chance in the infinite universe

The cosmological model of eternal inflation and the transition from chance to biological evolution in the history of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Koonin, Eugene V

2007-05-31

Recent developments in cosmology radically change the conception of the universe as well as the very notions of "probable" and "possible". The model of eternal inflation implies that all macroscopic histories permitted by laws of physics are repeated an infinite number of times in the infinite multiverse. In contrast to the traditional cosmological models of a single, finite universe, this worldview provides for the origin of an infinite number of complex systems by chance, even as the probability of complexity emerging in any given region of the multiverse is extremely low. This change in perspective has profound implications for the history of any phenomenon, and life on earth cannot be an exception. Origin of life is a chicken and egg problem: for biological evolution that is governed, primarily, by natural selection, to take off, efficient systems for replication and translation are required, but even barebones cores of these systems appear to be products of extensive selection. The currently favored (partial) solution is an RNA world without proteins in which replication is catalyzed by ribozymes and which serves as the cradle for the translation system. However, the RNA world faces its own hard problems as ribozyme-catalyzed RNA replication remains a hypothesis and the selective pressures behind the origin of translation remain mysterious. Eternal inflation offers a viable alternative that is untenable in a finite universe, i.e., that a coupled system of translation and replication emerged by chance, and became the breakthrough stage from which biological evolution, centered around Darwinian selection, took off. A corollary of this hypothesis is that an RNA world, as a diverse population of replicating RNA molecules, might have never existed. In this model, the stage for Darwinian selection is set by anthropic selection of complex systems that rarely but inevitably emerge by chance in the infinite universe (multiverse). The plausibility of different models

From inflation to recent cosmic acceleration: the fermionic Elko field driving the evolution of the universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, S.H.; Guimarães, T.M., E-mail: shpereira@feg.unesp.br, E-mail: thiago.mogui@gmail.com [Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Faculdade de Engenharia, Guaratinguetá, Departamento de Física e Química, Av. Dr. Ariberto Pereira da Cunha 333, 12516-410, Guaratinguetá, SP (Brazil)

2017-09-01

In this paper we construct the complete evolution of the universe driven by the mass dimension one dark spinor called Elko, starting with inflation, passing by the matter dominated era and finishing with the recent accelerated expansion. The dynamic of the fermionic Elko field with a symmetry breaking type potential can reproduce all phases of the universe in a natural and elegant way. The dynamical equations in general case and slow roll conditions in the limit H || m {sub pl} are also presented for the Elko system. Numerical analysis for the number of e-foldings during inflation, energy density after inflation and for present time and also the actual size of the universe are in good agreement with the standard model of cosmology. An interpretation of the inflationary phase as a result of Pauli exclusion principle is also possible if the Elko field is treated as an average value of its quantum analogue.

Finite temperature effects in primordial inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Gelmini, G. B.; Nanopoulos, D. V.; Olive, K. A.

1983-11-01

We present a detailed study of a recently proposed model for primordial inflation based on an N=1 locally supersymmetric potential. For a large class of parameters with which all cosmological constraints are satisfied, the temperature corrections can be neglected during the inflation period. At higher temperatures, the minimum is not at the origin, but very close to it. Address after July 1, 1983: Theory Group, Fermilab, PO Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510, USA.

Viscous coupled fluids in inflationary cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brevik, I., E-mail: iver.h.brevik@ntnu.no [Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway); Timoshkin, A. V., E-mail: timoshkinAV@tspu.edu.ru [Tomsk State Pedagogical University (Russian Federation)

2016-04-15

We consider the inflation produced by two coupled fluids in a flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker universe. Different cosmological models for describing inflation with the use of an inhomogeneous equation of state for the fluid are investigated. The gravitational equations for energy and matter are solved, and analytic representations for the Hubble parameter and the energy density are obtained. Corrections to the energy density for matter inducing the inflation and the coupling to energy are discussed. We analyze the description of inflation induced by nonconstant equation-of-state parameters from fluid viscosity. The correspondence between the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio recently observed by the Planck satellite is considered.

Classical and quantum cosmology

CERN Document Server

Calcagni, Gianluca

2017-01-01

This comprehensive textbook is devoted to classical and quantum cosmology, with particular emphasis on modern approaches to quantum gravity and string theory and on their observational imprint. It covers major challenges in theoretical physics such as the big bang and the cosmological constant problem. An extensive review of standard cosmology, the cosmic microwave background, inflation and dark energy sets the scene for the phenomenological application of all the main quantum-gravity and string-theory models of cosmology. Born of the author's teaching experience and commitment to bridging the gap between cosmologists and theoreticians working beyond the established laws of particle physics and general relativity, this is a unique text where quantum-gravity approaches and string theory are treated on an equal footing. As well as introducing cosmology to undergraduate and graduate students with its pedagogical presentation and the help of 45 solved exercises, this book, which includes an ambitious bibliography...

String-driven inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turok, N.

1988-01-01

It is argued that, in fundamental string theories, as one traces the universe back in time a point is reached when the expansion rate is so fast that the rate of string creation due to quantum effects balances the dilution of the string density due to the expansion. One is therefore led into a phase of constant string density and an exponentially expanding universe. Fundamental strings therefore seem to lead naturally to inflation

Knotty inflation and the dimensionality of spacetime

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berera, Arjun [University of Edinburgh, Tait Institute, School of Physics and Astronomy, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Buniy, Roman V. [Chapman University, Schmid College of Science, Orange, CA (United States); Kephart, Thomas W. [Vanderbilt University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nashville, TN (United States); Paes, Heinrich [Technische Universitaet Dortmund, Fakultaet fuer Physik, Dortmund (Germany); Rosa, Joao G. [Departamento de Fisica da Universidade de Aveiro and CIDMA, Aveiro (Portugal)

2017-10-15

We suggest a structure for the vacuum comprised of a network of tightly knotted/linked flux tubes formed in a QCD-like cosmological phase transition and show that such a network can drive cosmological inflation. As the network can be topologically stable only in three space dimensions, this scenario provides a dynamical explanation for the existence of exactly three large spatial dimensions in our Universe. (orig.)

Higgs cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajantie, Arttu

2018-03-06

The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 and other results from the Large Hadron Collider have confirmed the standard model of particle physics as the correct theory of elementary particles and their interactions up to energies of several TeV. Remarkably, the theory may even remain valid all the way to the Planck scale of quantum gravity, and therefore it provides a solid theoretical basis for describing the early Universe. Furthermore, the Higgs field itself has unique properties that may have allowed it to play a central role in the evolution of the Universe, from inflation to cosmological phase transitions and the origin of both baryonic and dark matter, and possibly to determine its ultimate fate through the electroweak vacuum instability. These connections between particle physics and cosmology have given rise to a new and growing field of Higgs cosmology, which promises to shed new light on some of the most puzzling questions about the Universe as new data from particle physics experiments and cosmological observations become available.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Higgs cosmology'. © 2018 The Author(s).

String driven inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turok, N.

1987-11-01

It is argued that, in fundamental string theories, as one traces the universe back in time a point is reached when the expansion rate is so fast that the rate of string creation due to quantum effects balances the dilution of the string density due to the expansion. One is therefore led into a phase of constant string density and an exponentially expanding universe. Fundamental strings therefore seem to lead naturally to inflation. 17 refs., 1 fig

Cosmology without a beginning

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2000-01-01

Most of the puzzles with standard big bang cosmology can be avoided if the big bang is NOT identified with the beginning of time. The short-distance cutoff and duality symmetries of superstring theory suggest a new (so-called pre-big bang) cosmology in which the birth of our Universe is the result of a long classical evolution characterized by a gravitational instability. I will motivate and describe this heretical scenario and compare its phenomenological implications with those of ortodox (post-big bang) inflation.

Attractor behaviour in ELKO cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basak, Abhishek; Bhatt, Jitesh R.; Shankaranarayanan, S.; Varma, K.V. Prasantha

2013-01-01

We study the dynamics of ELKO in the context of accelerated phase of our universe. To avoid the fine tuning problem associated with the initial conditions, it is required that the dynamical equations lead to an early-time attractor. In the earlier works, it was shown that the dynamical equations containing ELKO fields do not lead to early-time stable fixed points. In this work, using redefinition of variables, we show that ELKO cosmology admits early-time stable fixed points. More interestingly, we show that ELKO cosmology admit two sets of attractor points corresponding to slow and fast-roll inflation. The fast-roll inflation attractor point is unique for ELKO as it is independent of the form of the potential. We also discuss the plausible choice of interaction terms in these two sets of attractor points and constraints on the coupling constant

The effective field theory of nonsingular cosmology: II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Yong; Li, Hai-Guang [University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, School of Physics, Beijing (China); Qiu, Taotao [Central China Normal University, Institute of Astrophysics, Wuhan (China); Piao, Yun-Song [University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, School of Physics, Beijing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Theoretical Physics, P.O. Box 2735, Beijing (China)

2017-06-15

Based on the effective field theory (EFT) of cosmological perturbations, we explicitly clarify the pathology in nonsingular cubic Galileon models and show how to cure it in EFT with new insights into this issue. With the least set of EFT operators that are capable to avoid instabilities in nonsingular cosmologies, we construct a nonsingular model dubbed the Genesis-inflation model, in which a slowly expanding phase (namely, Genesis) with increasing energy density is followed by slow-roll inflation. The spectrum of the primordial perturbation may be simulated numerically, which shows itself a large-scale cutoff, as the large-scale anomalies in CMB might be a hint for. (orig.)

Dynamical Baryogenesis in Complex Hybrid Inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delepine, David; Martinez, Carlos; Urena-Lopez, L. Arturo

2008-01-01

We propose a hybrid inflation model with a complex waterfall field which contains an interaction term that breaks the U (1) global symmetry associated to the waterfall field charge. We show that the asymmetric evolution of the real and imaginary parts of the complex field during the phase transition at the end of inflation translates into a charge asymmetry. The latter strongly depends on the vev of the waterfall field, which is well constrained by diverse cosmological observations

Texture and inflation in a closed universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hacyan, S.; Sarmiento, A.

1993-01-01

We present a cosmological model with a global homogeneous texture and inflation, but without an initial singularity. The Universe starts from an equilibrium configuration in a symmetric vacuum; the dynamic stability of this configuration is studied. We obtain numerical solutions which show that the Universe expands exponentially and the texture field decays in a finite time; this corresponds to a period of inflation followed naturally by a Friedmann expansion

A Signature of Inflation from Dynamical Supersymmetry Breaking

CERN Document Server

Kinney, W H; Kinney, William H.; Riotto, Antonio

1998-01-01

In models of cosmological inflation motivated by dynamical supersymmetry breaking, the potential driving inflation may be characterized by inverse powers of a scalar field. These models produce observables similar to those typical of the hybrid inflation scenario: negligible production of tensor (gravitational wave) modes, and a blue scalar spectral index. In this short note, we show that, unlike standard hybrid inflation models, dynamical supersymmetric inflation (DSI) predicts a measurable deviation from a power-law spectrum of fluctuations, with a variation in the scalar spectral index $|dn / d(\\ln k)|$ may be as large as 0.05. DSI can be observationally distinguished from other hybrid models with cosmic microwave background measurements of the planned sensitivity of the ESA's Planck Surveyor.

Realization of new inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, A.; Brandenberger, R.H.

1985-01-01

We examine cosmological phase transitions using a new approach and argue that there are many models in which the universe enters a period of exponential expansion required for an inflationary cosmology. A sufficient condition is that the interaction rates due to quantum field nonlinearities be sufficiently small compared to the expansion rate of the universe. In Coleman-Weinberg-type models this requires tuning the gauge coupling constant to a low value. In pure scalar field theories, the conditions for inflation are satisfied if the scale of symmetry breaking is of the order of the Planck scale

Course of cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desert, F.-Xavier

2004-01-01

After an introduction comprising some definitions, an historical overview, and a discussion of the paradoxical Universe, this course proposes a presentation of fundamental notions and theories, i.e. the restrained relativity and the universal gravitation. The next part addresses the general relativity with the following notions: space-time metrics and principle of generalised covariance, basics of tensor analysis, geodesics, energy-pulse tensor, curvature, Einstein equations, Newtonian limit, Schwarzschild metrics, gravitational waves, gravitational redshift. The next part addresses the standard cosmology with the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metrics and the Friedmann-Lemaitre equations of the evolution of the Universe. The Universe expansion is then addressed: distances and horizons, Hubble law, determination of the Hubble constant. The next chapter deals with the constituents of the Universe: light matter, baryonic dark matter, black matter, supernovae, Universe acceleration and black energy. Then comes the nuclear evolution of the Universe: thermodynamics of the primordial Universe, the matter-antimatter asymmetry, from quarks to atoms, cosmic abundance, neutron cosmological background, matter-radiation equality, cosmo-chronology or the age of the Universe. The next chapter addresses the cosmological background at 3 K: sky electromagnetic spectrum, measurement of CMB anisotropies, interpretation of anisotropies, growth of perturbations. The last chapter addresses the quantum field theory and inflation: paradoxes of the standard Big Bang, the simple inflation, noticeable consequences

Inflation Basics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Dan

2014-01-01

The last few years have yielded remarkable discoveries in physics. In particle physics it appears that a fundamental scalar field exists. The Higgs boson is measured to have a mass of about 126 GeV and to have spin zero and positive parity. The Higgs field is the first fundamental scalar to be discovered in physics. The Cosmic Microwave Background, CMB, is known to have a uniform temperature to parts per 10 5 , but has well measured fluctuations, which are thought to evolve gravitationally to provide the seeds of the current structure of the Universe. In addition, the Universe appears to contain, at present, an unknown ''dark energy'', which is presently the majority energy density of the Universe, larger than either matter or radiation. This may, indeed, be a fundamental scalar field like the Higgs. ''Big Bang'' (BB) cosmology is a very successful ''standard model'' in cosmology. However, it cannot explain the uniformity of the CMB because the CMB consists of many regions not causally connected in the context of the BB model. In addition, the Universe appears to be spatially flat. However, in BB cosmology the present spatial curvature is not stable, so that the initial conditions for BB cosmology would need to be fantastically fine-tuned in order to successfully predict the presently small value of the observed curvature. These issues for BB cosmology have led to the hypothesis of ''inflation'' which postulates an unknown scalar field, not presumably the Higgs field or the dark energy, which causes an exponential expansion of the Universe at very early times. This attractive hypothesis can account for the problems in BB cosmology of flatness and causal CMB connectivity. In addition, the quantum fluctuations of this postulated field provide a natural explanation of the CMB fluctuations which are the seeds of the structure of galaxies. Researchers are now searching for gravitational

Cosmology solved? Maybe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, Michael S.

1999-01-01

For two decades the hot big-bang model as been referred to as the standard cosmology - and for good reason. For just as long cosmologists have known that there are fundamental questions that are not answered by the standard cosmology and point to a grander theory. The best candidate for that grander theory is inflation + cold dark matter. It holds that the Universe is flat, that slowly moving elementary particles left over from the earliest moments provide the cosmic infrastructure, and that the primeval density inhomogeneities that seed all the structure arose from quantum fluctuations. There is now prima facie evidence that supports two basic tenets of this paradigm. An avalanche of high-quality cosmological observations will soon make this case stronger or will break it. Key questions remain to be answered; foremost among them are: identification and detection of the cold dark matter particles and elucidation of the dark-energy component. These are exciting times in cosmology!

Cosmology solved? Maybe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, Michael S

1999-03-01

For two decades the hot big-bang model as been referred to as the standard cosmology - and for good reason. For just as long cosmologists have known that there are fundamental questions that are not answered by the standard cosmology and point to a grander theory. The best candidate for that grander theory is inflation + cold dark matter. It holds that the Universe is flat, that slowly moving elementary particles left over from the earliest moments provide the cosmic infrastructure, and that the primeval density inhomogeneities that seed all the structure arose from quantum fluctuations. There is now prima facie evidence that supports two basic tenets of this paradigm. An avalanche of high-quality cosmological observations will soon make this case stronger or will break it. Key questions remain to be answered; foremost among them are: identification and detection of the cold dark matter particles and elucidation of the dark-energy component. These are exciting times in cosmology{exclamation_point}.

Single field double inflation and primordial black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kannike, K.; Marzola, L.; Raidal, M.; Veermäe, H., E-mail: kristjan.kannike@cern.ch, E-mail: luca.marzola@cern.ch, E-mail: martti.raidal@cern.ch, E-mail: hardi.veermae@cern.ch [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Rävala 10, 10143 Tallinn (Estonia)

2017-09-01

Within the framework of scalar-tensor theories, we study the conditions that allow single field inflation dynamics on small cosmological scales to significantly differ from that of the large scales probed by the observations of cosmic microwave background. The resulting single field double inflation scenario is characterised by two consequent inflation eras, usually separated by a period where the slow-roll approximation fails. At large field values the dynamics of the inflaton is dominated by the interplay between its non-minimal coupling to gravity and the radiative corrections to the inflaton self-coupling. For small field values the potential is, instead, dominated by a polynomial that results in a hilltop inflation. Without relying on the slow-roll approximation, which is invalidated by the appearance of the intermediate stage, we propose a concrete model that matches the current measurements of inflationary observables and employs the freedom granted by the framework on small cosmological scales to give rise to a sizeable population of primordial black holes generated by large curvature fluctuations. We find that these features generally require a potential with a local minimum. We show that the associated primordial black hole mass function is only approximately lognormal.

Flipped GUT inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, John [Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology Group, Department of Physics, King’s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Theory Division, CERN, Route de Meyrin 385, 1217 Meyrin (Switzerland); Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Harz, Julia; Huang, Wei-Chih [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2015-03-23

We analyse the prospects for constructing hybrid models of inflation that provide a dynamical realisation of the apparent closeness between the supersymmetric GUT scale and the possible scale of cosmological inflation. In the first place, we consider models based on the flipped SU(5)×U(1) gauge group, which has no magnetic monopoles. In one model, the inflaton is identified with a sneutrino field, and in the other model it is a gauge singlet. In both cases we find regions of the model parameter spaces that are compatible with the experimental magnitudes of the scalar perturbations, A{sub s}, and the tilt in the scalar perturbation spectrum, n{sub s}, as well as with an indicative upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio, r. We also discuss embeddings of these models into SO(10), which is broken at a higher scale so that its monopoles are inflated away.

Flipped GUT inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, John [Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology Group, Department of Physics, King' s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Gonzalo, Tomás E.; Harz, Julia; Huang, Wei-Chih, E-mail: john.ellis@cern.ch, E-mail: tomas.gonzalo.11@ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: j.harz@ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: wei-chih.huang@ucl.ac.uk [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2015-03-01

We analyse the prospects for constructing hybrid models of inflation that provide a dynamical realisation of the apparent closeness between the supersymmetric GUT scale and the possible scale of cosmological inflation. In the first place, we consider models based on the flipped SU(5)×U(1) gauge group, which has no magnetic monopoles. In one model, the inflaton is identified with a sneutrino field, and in the other model it is a gauge singlet. In both cases we find regions of the model parameter spaces that are compatible with the experimental magnitudes of the scalar perturbations, A{sub s}, and the tilt in the scalar perturbation spectrum, n{sub s}, as well as with an indicative upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio, r. We also discuss embeddings of these models into SO(10), which is broken at a higher scale so that its monopoles are inflated away.

Flipped GUT Inflation

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John; Harz, Julia; Huang, Wei-Chih

2015-01-01

We analyse the prospects for constructing hybrid models of inflation that provide a dynamical realisation of the apparent closeness between the supersymmetric GUT scale and the possible scale of cosmological inflation. In the first place, we consider models based on the flipped SU(5)$\\times$U(1) gauge group, which has no magnetic monopoles. In one model, the inflaton is identified with a sneutrino field, and in the other model it is a gauge singlet. In both cases we find regions of the model parameter spaces that are compatible with the experimental magnitudes of the scalar perturbations, $A_s$, and the tilt in the scalar perturbation spectrum, $n_s$, as well as with an indicative upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio, $r$. We also discuss embeddings of these models into SO(10), which is broken at a higher scale so that its monopoles are inflated away.

Difficulties with inflationary cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penrose, R.

1989-01-01

According to the author, the idea of inflationary cosmology is an ingenious attempt to solve some of the major puzzles of cosmology, most notably the flatness problem, the homogeneity (horizon) problem, and the monopole problem. The homogeneity problem, in particular, is intimately connected with a largely unappreciated, but profound puzzle presented by the second law of thermodynamics. The author argues that the mechanism of inflation does not, by itself, come to terms with this and consequently, comes nowhere close to providing an understanding of the large-scale homogeneity of the universe

Dark Energy and Inflation from Gravitational Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonid Marochnik

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this seven-part paper, we show that gravitational waves (classical and quantum produce the accelerated de Sitter expansion at the start and at the end of the cosmological evolution of the Universe. In these periods, the Universe contains no matter fields but contains classical and quantum metric fluctuations, i.e., it is filled with classical and quantum gravitational waves. In such evolution of the Universe, dominated by gravitational waves, the de Sitter state is the exact solution to the self-consistent equations for classical and quantum gravitational waves and background geometry for the empty space-time with FLRW metric. In both classical and quantum cases, this solution is of the instanton origin since it is obtained in the Euclidean space of imaginary time with the subsequent analytic continuation to real time. The cosmological acceleration from gravitational waves provides a transparent physical explanation to the coincidence, threshold and “old cosmological constant” paradoxes of dark energy avoiding recourse to the anthropic principle. The cosmological acceleration from virtual gravitons at the start of the Universe evolution produces inflation, which is consistent with the observational data on CMB anisotropy. Section 1 is devoted to cosmological acceleration from classical gravitational waves. Section 2 is devoted to the theory of virtual gravitons in the Universe. Section 3 is devoted to cosmological acceleration from virtual gravitons. Section 4 discusses the consistency of the theory with observational data on dark energy and inflation. The discussion of mechanism of acceleration and cosmological scenario are contained in Sections 5 and 6. Appendix contains the theory of stochastic nonlinear gravitational waves of arbitrary wavelength and amplitude in an isotropic Universe.

Problems in quantum cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amsterdamski, P.

1986-01-01

The standard cosmological model is reviewed and shown not to be self-sufficient in that it requires initial conditions most likely to be supplied by quantum cosmology. The possible approaches to the issue of initial conditions for cosmology are then discussed. In this thesis, the author considers three separate problems related to this issue. First, the possibility of inflation is investigated in detail by analyzing the evolution of metric perturbations and fluctuations in the expectation value of a scalar field prior to a phase transition; finite temperature effects are also included. Since the inhomogeneities were damped well before the onset of a phase transition. It is concluded that an inflation was possible. Next, the effective action of neutrino and photon fields is calculated for homogeneous spacetimes with small anisotropy; it is shown that quantum corrections to the action due to these fields influence the evolution of an early Universe in the Same way as do the analogous correction terms arising from a conformally invariant scalar which has been previously studied. Finally, the question of an early anisotropy is also discussed in a framework of Hartle-Hawking wave function of the Universe. A wave function of a Bianchi IX type Universe is calculated in a semiclassical approximation

Intermediate Inflation or Late Time Acceleration?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanyal, A.K.

2008-01-01

The expansion rate of intermediate inflation lies between the exponential and power law expansion but corresponding accelerated expansion does not start at the onset of cosmological evolution. Present study of intermediate inflation reveals that it admits scaling solution and has got a natural exit form it at a later epoch of cosmic evolution, leading to late time acceleration. The corresponding scalar field responsible for such feature is also found to behave as a tracker field for gravity with canonical kinetic term.

BOOK REVIEW: Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Frolov, Valeri P.

2013-10-01

The book Black holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions written by Kirill A Bronnikov and Sergey G Rubin has been published recently by World Scientific Publishing Company. The authors are well known experts in gravity and cosmology. The book is a monograph, a considerable part of which is based on the original work of the authors. Their original point of view on some of the problems makes the book quite interesting, covering a variety of important topics of the modern theory of gravity, astrophysics and cosmology. It consists of 11 chapters which are organized in three parts. The book starts with an introduction, where the authors briefly discuss the main ideas of General Relativity, giving some historical remarks on its development and application to cosmology, and mentioning some more recent subjects such as brane worlds, f(R)-theories and gravity in higher dimensions. Part I of the book is called 'Gravity'. Chapters two and three are devoted to the Einstein equations and their spherical symmetric black hole solutions. This material is quite standard and can be found in practically any book on General Relativity. A brief summary of the Kerr metric and black hole thermodynamics are given in chapter four. The main part of this chapter is devoted to spherically symmetric black holes in non-Einstein gravity (with scalar and phantom fields), black holes with regular interior, and black holes in brane worlds. Chapters five and six are mainly dedicated to wormholes and the problem of their stability. Part II (Cosmology) starts with discussion of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker and de Sitter solutions of the Einstein equations and their properties. It follows by describing a `big picture' of the modern cosmology (inflation, post-inflationary reheating, the radiation-dominated and matter-dominated states, and modern stage of the (secondary) inflation). The authors explain how the inflation models allow one to solve many of the long-standing problems of cosmology, such as

Primordial anisotropies in gauged hybrid inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Akbar Abolhasani, Ali; Emami, Razieh; Firouzjahi, Hassan

2014-05-01

We study primordial anisotropies generated in the model of gauged hybrid inflation in which the complex waterfall field is charged under a U(1)gauge field. Primordial anisotropies are generated either actively during inflation or from inhomogeneities modulating the surface of end of inflation during waterfall transition. We present a consistent δN mechanism to calculate the anisotropic power spectrum and bispectrum. We show that the primordial anisotropies generated at the surface of end of inflation do not depend on the number of e-folds and therefore do not produce dangerously large anisotropies associated with the IR modes. Furthermore, one can find the parameter space that the anisotropies generated from the surface of end of inflation cancel the anisotropies generated during inflation, therefore relaxing the constrains on model parameters imposed from IR anisotropies. We also show that the gauge field fluctuations induce a red-tilted power spectrum so the averaged power spectrum from the gauge field can change the total power spectrum from blue to red. Therefore, hybrid inflation, once gauged under a U(1) field, can be consistent with the cosmological observations.

Primordial anisotropies in gauged hybrid inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abolhasani, Ali Akbar; Emami, Razieh; Firouzjahi, Hassan

2014-01-01

We study primordial anisotropies generated in the model of gauged hybrid inflation in which the complex waterfall field is charged under a U(1)gauge field. Primordial anisotropies are generated either actively during inflation or from inhomogeneities modulating the surface of end of inflation during waterfall transition. We present a consistent δN mechanism to calculate the anisotropic power spectrum and bispectrum. We show that the primordial anisotropies generated at the surface of end of inflation do not depend on the number of e-folds and therefore do not produce dangerously large anisotropies associated with the IR modes. Furthermore, one can find the parameter space that the anisotropies generated from the surface of end of inflation cancel the anisotropies generated during inflation, therefore relaxing the constrains on model parameters imposed from IR anisotropies. We also show that the gauge field fluctuations induce a red-tilted power spectrum so the averaged power spectrum from the gauge field can change the total power spectrum from blue to red. Therefore, hybrid inflation, once gauged under a U(1) field, can be consistent with the cosmological observations

On the One Loop Corrections to Inflation II

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Martin Snoager

2006-01-01

In this paper we extend our previous treatment of the one-loop corrections to inflation. Previously we calculated the one-loop corrections to the background and the two-point correlation function of inflaton fluctuations in a specific model of chaotic inflation. We showed that the loop correction...... model of chaotic inflation with a quadratic inflationary potential. We discuss the physical interpretation of the effect in terms of the tensor-to-scalar consistency relation. Finally, we discuss the relation to the work of Weinberg on quantum contributions to cosmological correlators....

Non-Gaussian signatures arising from warm inflation driven by geometric tachyon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharjee, Anindita; Deshamukhya, Atri

2014-01-01

In a warm inflationary scenario, the initial seeds of density perturbation arise from thermal fluctuations of the inflaton field. These fluctuations in principle have Gaussian distribution. In a Gaussian distribution the density perturbation can be expressed as the two point correlation function. Thus if in an inflationary model the density perturbation is expressed as correlation function of order higher than two, these fluctuations are non-Gaussian in nature. A simple inflationary model containing single scalar field, slow roll, canonical kinetic term and vacuum initial state can produce a tiny amount of non-Gaussianity which are very small to be detected by any experiment. Non-Gaussianity can also arise in inflationary models containing multiple scalar fields. For an inflationary scenario with single scalar field, non-Gaussianity can be expressed in terms of bi-spectrum however for multi field Inflation, it is expressed in terms of trispectrum etc. In this piece of work, the warm inflationary scenario, driven by a D3 brane due to the presence of a stack of k coincident NS 5 branes is considered and the non-Gaussian effects in such an inflationary scenario has been analysed by measuring the bispectrum of the gravitational field fluctuations generated during the warm inflation in strong dissipative regime. The bi-spectrum of the Inflation is expressed in terms of the parameter f NL and it is seen that the value of f NL parameter lies well within the limit observed by WMAP7

Higher Curvature Supergravity, Supersymmetry Breaking and Inflation

CERN Document Server

Ferrara, Sergio

2017-01-01

In these lectures, after a short introduction to cosmology, we discuss the supergravity embedding of higher curvature models of inflation. The supergravity description of such models is presented for the two different formulations of minimal supergravity.

Producing a scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations in a Hagedorn phase of string cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayeri, Ali; Brandenberger, Robert H; Vafa, Cumrun

2006-07-14

We study the generation of cosmological perturbations during the Hagedorn phase of string gas cosmology. Using tools of string thermodynamics we provide indications that it may be possible to obtain a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological fluctuations on scales which are of cosmological interest today. In our cosmological scenario, the early Hagedorn phase of string gas cosmology goes over smoothly into the radiation-dominated phase of standard cosmology, without having a period of cosmological inflation.

Supersymmetric inflation: Recent progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovrut, B.A.; Steinhardt, P.J.

1986-01-01

The new inflationary universe scenario is, in principle, a simple and powerful approach to resolving a large number of fundamental cosmological problems. However, in order for the scenario to be considered a complete theory, one critical question remains to be answered: What is the physics responsible for the phase transition that triggers the exponential expansion (inflation) of the universe? One possibility that the authors and several other groups have been pursuing is that the physics responsible for the phase transition involves (local) supersymmetry. The goal of this paper is to review the present status of ''Supersymmetric Inflation'', particularly emphasizing some very exciting results that they recently obtained

Cosmological reconstruction of realistic modified F(R) gravities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojiri, Shin'ichi; Odintsov, Sergei D.; Saez-Gomez, Diego

2009-01-01

The cosmological reconstruction scheme for modified F(R) gravity is developed in terms of e-folding (or, redshift). It is demonstrated how any FRW cosmology may emerge from specific F(R) theory. The specific examples of well-known cosmological evolution are reconstructed, including ΛCDM cosmology, deceleration with transition to phantom superacceleration era which may develop singularity or be transient. The application of this scheme to viable F(R) gravities unifying inflation with dark energy era is proposed. The additional reconstruction of such models leads to non-leading gravitational correction mainly relevant at the early/late universe and helping to pass the cosmological bounds (if necessary). It is also shown how cosmological reconstruction scheme may be generalized in the presence of scalar field.

Particle physics and cosmology beyond the Standard Model: inflation, dark matter and flavour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heurtier, L.

2015-01-01

This thesis has been focusing on beyond the Standard Model aspects of particle physics and their implication in cosmology. We have gone through this work along the timeline of the Universe History focusing on three major topics that are the inflationary period, the dark matter relic density production and detection, and finally the question of flavor changing constraints on low energy supersymmetric theories. In the first part of this thesis, after reviewing the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of both the Big Bang theory and the theory of Inflation we will study in detail how describing Inflation in a high energy supersymmetric theory. The second part of this thesis is dedicated to dark matter. We have studied phenomenological aspects of simple models, extending the present Standard Model with simple abelian symmetries, by assuming that the constituent of dark matter would be able to exchange information with the visible sector by the help of a mediator particle. We have studied in particular possible interactions of heavy or light dark matter with respectively the strong and the electroweak sectors of the Standard Model. Our models are strongly constrained of course by experiments. The third part of this work will be dedicated to a different aspect of beyond Standard Model theories, that is the treatment of the flavour changing processes of particle physics. The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), as one of these possible enlargement of the Standard Model, introduces new processes of flavour changing that are highly constrained by experiment. We present some works in which we consider the possibility of adding so called Dirac Gauginos to the MSSM to render flavour changing weaker in the theory, and propose different flavour patterns theories

The gravitational wave spectrum from cosmological B-L breaking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Kamada, K.; Schmitz, K.

2013-05-01

Cosmological B-L breaking is a natural and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. If B-L is broken at the grand unification scale, the false vacuum phase drives hybrid inflation, ending in tachyonic preheating. The decays of heavy B-L Higgs bosons and heavy neutrinos generate entropy, baryon asymmetry and dark matter and also control the reheating temperature. The different phases in the transition from inflation to the radiation dominated phase produce a characteristic spectrum of gravitational waves. We calculate the complete gravitational wave spectrum due to inflation, preheating and cosmic strings, which turns out to have several features. The production of gravitational waves from cosmic strings has large uncertainties, with lower and upper bounds provided by Abelian Higgs strings and Nambu-Goto strings, implying Ω GW h 2 ∝10 -13 -10 -8 , much larger than the spectral amplitude predicted by inflation. Forthcoming gravitational wave detectors such as eLISA, advanced LIGO and BBO/DECIGO will reach the sensitivity needed to test the predictions from cosmological B-L breaking.

The gravitational wave spectrum from cosmological B-L breaking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buchmueller, W.; Domcke, V.; Kamada, K. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Schmitz, K. [Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa (Japan). Kavli IPMU (WPI)

2013-05-15

Cosmological B-L breaking is a natural and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. If B-L is broken at the grand unification scale, the false vacuum phase drives hybrid inflation, ending in tachyonic preheating. The decays of heavy B-L Higgs bosons and heavy neutrinos generate entropy, baryon asymmetry and dark matter and also control the reheating temperature. The different phases in the transition from inflation to the radiation dominated phase produce a characteristic spectrum of gravitational waves. We calculate the complete gravitational wave spectrum due to inflation, preheating and cosmic strings, which turns out to have several features. The production of gravitational waves from cosmic strings has large uncertainties, with lower and upper bounds provided by Abelian Higgs strings and Nambu-Goto strings, implying {Omega}{sub GW}h{sup 2}{proportional_to}10{sup -13}-10{sup -8}, much larger than the spectral amplitude predicted by inflation. Forthcoming gravitational wave detectors such as eLISA, advanced LIGO and BBO/DECIGO will reach the sensitivity needed to test the predictions from cosmological B-L breaking.

What does cosmology tell us about particle physics beyond the Standard Model?

Science.gov (United States)

Komatsu, Eiichiro

2012-07-01

Cosmology demands particle physics beyond the Standard Model: we need to explain the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the physics of cosmic inflation. Cosmology also provides the tightest upper bound on the sum of neutrino masses, and it seems only a matter of time before we measure the absolute mass of neutrinos, unveiling the neutrino mass hierarchy. It also provides a measurement of the number of relativistic species at the photon decoupling epoch (at which the temperature of the universe is 3000 K). Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey conducted by USA's National Academy of Sciences has identified these four topics (dark matter, dark energy, inflation and neutrinos) as the most important subjects to study in cosmology over the next decade. In this contribution, we review the current status on these topics, in light of the recent cosmological constraints.

How fabulous is Fab 5 cosmology?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linder, Eric V.

2013-01-01

Extended gravity origins for cosmic acceleration can solve some fine tuning issues and have useful characteristics, but generally have little to say regarding the cosmological constant problem. Fab 5 gravity can be ghost free and stable, have attractor solutions in the past and future, and possess self tuning that solves the original cosmological constant problem. Here we show however it does not possess all these qualities at the same time. We also demonstrate that the self tuning is so powerful that it not only cancels the cosmological constant but also all other energy density, and we derive the scalings of its approach to a renormalized de Sitter cosmology. While this strong cancellation is bad for the late universe, it greatly eases early universe inflation

How fabulous is Fab 5 cosmology?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linder, Eric V., E-mail: evlinder@lbl.gov [Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics and Berkeley Lab, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720 (United States)

2013-12-01

Extended gravity origins for cosmic acceleration can solve some fine tuning issues and have useful characteristics, but generally have little to say regarding the cosmological constant problem. Fab 5 gravity can be ghost free and stable, have attractor solutions in the past and future, and possess self tuning that solves the original cosmological constant problem. Here we show however it does not possess all these qualities at the same time. We also demonstrate that the self tuning is so powerful that it not only cancels the cosmological constant but also all other energy density, and we derive the scalings of its approach to a renormalized de Sitter cosmology. While this strong cancellation is bad for the late universe, it greatly eases early universe inflation.

Modulus D-term inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Kadota, Kenji; Kobayashi, Tatsuo; Saga, Ikumi; Sumita, Keigo

2018-04-01

We propose a new model of single-field D-term inflation in supergravity, where the inflation is driven by a single modulus field which transforms non-linearly under the U(1) gauge symmetry. One of the notable features of our modulus D-term inflation scenario is that the global U(1) remains unbroken in the vacuum and hence our model is not plagued by the cosmic string problem which can exclude most of the conventional D-term inflation models proposed so far due to the CMB observations.

Brane world cosmologies with varying speed of light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youm, Donam

2001-02-01

We study cosmologies in the Randall-Sundrum models, incorporating the possibility of time-varying speed of light and Newton's constant. The cosmologies with varying speed of light (VSL) were proposed by Moffat and by Albrecht and Magueijo as an alternative to inflation for solving the cosmological problems. We consider the case in which the speed of light varies with time after the radion or the scale of the extra dimension has been stabilized. We elaborate on the conditions under which the flatness problem and the cosmological constant problem can be resolved. Particularly, the VSL cosmologies may provide a possible mechanism for bringing the quantum corrections to the fine-tuned brane tensions after the SUSY breaking under control. (author)

Curvaton paradigm can accommodate multiple low inflation scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Tomohiro

2004-01-01

Recent arguments show that some curvaton field may generate the cosmological curvature perturbation. As the curvaton is independent of the inflaton field, there is a hope that the fine tunings of inflation models can be cured by the curvaton scenario. More recently, however, Lyth discussed that there is a strong bound for the Hubble parameter during inflation even if one assumes the curvaton scenario. Although the most serious constraint was evaded, the bound seems rather crucial for many models of a low inflation scale. In this paper we try to remove the constraint. We show that the bound is drastically modified if there were multiple stages of inflation. (letter to the editor)

What Drives China's Food-Price Inflation and How does It Affect the Aggregate Inflation?

OpenAIRE

Wenlang Zhang; Daniel Law

2010-01-01

It is typically argued that China's food-price inflation has been mainly driven by supply-side shocks including natural disasters. Our research, however, shows that demand pressures have played a more important role from a medium-term perspective. This suggests surging food prices may call for policy reactions even if non-food-price inflation is tame. Meanwhile, we find food-price inflation has not generated significant second-round effects on non-food-price inflation. In particular, while fo...

G-warm inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Ramón

2017-05-01

A warm inflationary universe in the context of Galileon model or G-model is studied. Under a general formalism we study the inflationary dynamics and the cosmological perturbations considering a coupling of the form G(phi,X)=g(phi) X. As a concrete example, we consider an exponential potential together with the cases in which the dissipation and Galilean coefficients are constants. Also, we study the weak regime given by the condition RR+3gHdot phi. Additionally, we obtain constraints on the parameters during the evolution of G-warm inflation, assuming the condition for warm inflation in which the temperature T>H, the conditions or the weak and strong regimes, together with the consistency relation r=r(ns) from Planck data.

Inflation expels runaways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachlechner, Thomas C. [Department of Physics, Columbia University,New York, NY 10027 (United States)

2016-12-30

We argue that moduli stabilization generically restricts the evolution following transitions between weakly coupled de Sitter vacua and can induce a strong selection bias towards inflationary cosmologies. The energy density of domain walls between vacua typically destabilizes Kähler moduli and triggers a runaway towards large volume. This decompactification phase can collapse the new de Sitter region unless a minimum amount of inflation occurs after the transition. A stable vacuum transition is guaranteed only if the inflationary expansion generates overlapping past light cones for all observable modes originating from the reheating surface, which leads to an approximately flat and isotropic universe. High scale inflation is vastly favored. Our results point towards a framework for studying parameter fine-tuning and inflationary initial conditions in flux compactifications.

Path integral for stochastic inflation: Nonperturbative volume weighting, complex histories, initial conditions, and the end of inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Gratton, Steven

2011-09-01

In this paper we present a path integral formulation of stochastic inflation. Volume weighting can be naturally implemented from this new perspective in a very straightforward way when compared to conventional Langevin approaches. With an in-depth study of inflation in a quartic potential, we investigate how the inflaton evolves and how inflation typically ends both with and without volume weighting. The calculation can be carried to times beyond those accessible to conventional Fokker-Planck approaches. Perhaps unexpectedly, complex histories sometimes emerge with volume weighting. The reward for this excursion into the complex plane is an insight into how volume-weighted inflation both loses memory of initial conditions and ends via slow roll. The slow-roll end of inflation mitigates certain “Youngness Paradox”-type criticisms of the volume-weighted paradigm. Thus it is perhaps time to rehabilitate proper-time volume weighting as a viable measure for answering at least some interesting cosmological questions.

Path integral for stochastic inflation: Nonperturbative volume weighting, complex histories, initial conditions, and the end of inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gratton, Steven

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a path integral formulation of stochastic inflation. Volume weighting can be naturally implemented from this new perspective in a very straightforward way when compared to conventional Langevin approaches. With an in-depth study of inflation in a quartic potential, we investigate how the inflaton evolves and how inflation typically ends both with and without volume weighting. The calculation can be carried to times beyond those accessible to conventional Fokker-Planck approaches. Perhaps unexpectedly, complex histories sometimes emerge with volume weighting. The reward for this excursion into the complex plane is an insight into how volume-weighted inflation both loses memory of initial conditions and ends via slow roll. The slow-roll end of inflation mitigates certain ''Youngness Paradox''-type criticisms of the volume-weighted paradigm. Thus it is perhaps time to rehabilitate proper-time volume weighting as a viable measure for answering at least some interesting cosmological questions.

Dissipative Boltzmann-Robertson-Walker cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiscock, W.A.; Salmonson, J.

1991-01-01

The equations governing a flat Robertson-Walker cosmological model containing a dissipative Boltzmann gas are integrated numerically. The bulk viscous stress is modeled using the Eckart and Israel-Stewart theories of dissipative relativistic fluids; the resulting cosmologies are compared and contrasted. The Eckart models are shown to always differ in a significant quantitative way from the Israel-Stewart models. It thus appears inappropriate to use the pathological (nonhyperbolic) Eckart theory for cosmological applications. For large bulk viscosities, both cosmological models approach asymptotic nonequilibrium states; in the Eckart model the total pressure is negative, while in the Israel-Stewart model the total pressure is asymptotically zero. The Eckart model also expands more rapidly than the Israel-Stewart models. These results suggest that ''bulk-viscous'' inflation may be an artifact of using a pathological fluid theory such as the Eckart theory

Aspects of supersymmetric inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindblom, P.R.

1987-01-01

A new supersymmetric inflationary model is presented and shown to possess the following features: a successful slow rollover produced by quantum corrections; an acceptable pattern of supersymmetry breaking leading to the correct value of the electroweak scale; and a stable slow rollover transition to a minimum with vanishing cosmological constant. It is demonstrated that there is a class of GUT models which are compatible with an inflationary universe scenario in which: (a) the GUT and inflationary phase transitions are distinct (as in supersymmetric inflation); and (b) an observable number of GUT monopoles are created thermally due to reheating of the GUT sector after inflation. This provides one of the few ways of reconciling an observation of GUT monopoles with inflation. New techniques are developed for constructing inflationary models with multiple inflation fields, such as generalizing the one-dimensional slow rollover constraints and estimating the contribution to δρ/ρ from fluctuations transverse to the path of the slow rollover. A new method for ending the slow rollover portion of the inflationary transition is developed

Universality classes for models of inflation

CERN Document Server

Binetruy, P.; Mabillard, J.; Pieroni, M.; Rosset, C.

2015-01-01

We show that the cosmological evolution of a scalar field in a potential can be obtained from a renormalisation group equation. The slow roll regime of inflation models is understood in this context as the slow evolution close to a fixed point, described by the methods of renormalisation group. This explains in part the universality observed in the predictions of a certain number of inflation models. We illustrate this behavior on a certain number of examples and discuss it in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.

Topics in inflationary cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahn, R.N.

1985-01-01

This thesis examines several topics in the theory of inflationary cosmology. It first proves the existence of Hawking Radiation during the slow-rolling period of a new inflationary universe. It then derives and somewhat extends Bardeen's gauge invariant formalism for calculating the growth of linear gravitational perturbations in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological background. This formalism is then applied, first to several new inflationary universe models all of which show a Zel'dovich spectrum of fluctuations, but with amplitude sigma(100 4 ) above observational limits. The general formalism is next applied to models that exhibit primordial inflation. Fluctuations in these models also exhibit a Zel'dovich spectrum here with an acceptable amplitude. Finally the thesis presents the results of new, numerical calculations. A classical, (2 + 1) dimensional computer model is developed that includes a Higgs field (which drives inflation) along with enough auxiliary fields to generate dynamically not only a thermal bath, but also the fluctuations that naturally accompany that bath. The thesis ends with a discussion of future prospects

Issues on generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emami, Razieh; Firouzjahi, Hassan, E-mail: emami@mail.ipm.ir, E-mail: firouz@mail.ipm.ir [School of Physics, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2012-01-01

We revisit the idea of generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation in models of inflation with gauge fields. To be specific we consider the charged hybrid inflation model where the waterfall field is charged under a U(1) gauge field so the surface of end of inflation is controlled both by inflaton and the gauge fields. Using δN formalism properly we find that the anisotropies generated at the end of inflation from the gauge field fluctuations are exponentially suppressed on cosmological scales. This is because the gauge field evolves exponentially during inflation while in order to generate appreciable anisotropies at the end of inflation the spectator gauge field has to be frozen. We argue that this is a generic feature, that is, one can not generate observable anisotropies at the end of inflation within an FRW background.

Issues on generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emami, Razieh; Firouzjahi, Hassan

2012-01-01

We revisit the idea of generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation in models of inflation with gauge fields. To be specific we consider the charged hybrid inflation model where the waterfall field is charged under a U(1) gauge field so the surface of end of inflation is controlled both by inflaton and the gauge fields. Using δN formalism properly we find that the anisotropies generated at the end of inflation from the gauge field fluctuations are exponentially suppressed on cosmological scales. This is because the gauge field evolves exponentially during inflation while in order to generate appreciable anisotropies at the end of inflation the spectator gauge field has to be frozen. We argue that this is a generic feature, that is, one can not generate observable anisotropies at the end of inflation within an FRW background

Hyperbolic geometry of cosmological attractors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carrasco, John Joseph M.; Kallosh, Renata; Linde, Andrei; Roest, Diederik

2015-01-01

Cosmological alpha attractors give a natural explanation for the spectral index n(s) of inflation as measured by Planck while predicting a range for the tensor-to-scalar ratio r, consistent with all observations, to be measured more precisely in future B-mode experiments. We highlight the crucial

Introduction to particle cosmology the standard model of cosmology and its open problems

CERN Document Server

Bambi, Cosimo

2016-01-01

This book introduces the basic concepts of particle cosmology and covers all the main aspects of the Big Bang Model (expansion of the Universe, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, Cosmic Microwave Background, large scale structures) and the search for new physics (inflation, baryogenesis, dark matter, dark energy). It also includes the majority of recent discoveries, such as the precise determination of cosmological parameters using experiments like WMAP and Planck, the discovery of the Higgs boson at LHC, the non-discovery to date of supersymmetric particles, and the search for the imprint of gravitational waves on the CMB polarization by Planck and BICEP.   This textbook is based on the authors’ courses on Cosmology, and aims at introducing Particle Cosmology to senior undergraduate and graduate students. It has been especially written to be accessible even for those students who do not have a strong background in General Relativity and quantum field theory. The content of this book is organized in an easy-to-use ...

Supersymmetric inflationary cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz-Altaba, M.

1986-06-01

An action is presented, within the framework of supergravity unification, which satisfies all experimental and cosmological constraints. In intermediate scale, around 10 10 - 10 11 GeV, arises from a critical examination of inflation, supersymmetry breaking, fermion masses, proton decay, baryogenesis, and electroweak breaking - including neutrino oscillations and CP violation. Careful consideration is given to some relevant calculations. 86 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs

Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2011-01-01

Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) offer a means to explore the universe at a very early epoch. Specifically, if the universe went through a brief period of exponential expansion called inflation as current data suggest, gravitational waves from this period would polarize the CMB in a specific pattern. At GSFC, we are currently working towards two experiments that work in concert to measure this polarization pattern in search of evidence for inflation. The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) will measure the polarization at frequencies between 40 and 150 GHz from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne experiment that will make similar measurements at frequencies between 200 and 600 GHz.

BMS in cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehagias, A.; Riotto, A.

2016-01-01

Symmetries play an interesting role in cosmology. They are useful in characterizing the cosmological perturbations generated during inflation and lead to consistency relations involving the soft limit of the statistical correlators of large-scale structure dark matter and galaxies overdensities. On the other hand, in observational cosmology the carriers of the information about these large-scale statistical distributions are light rays traveling on null geodesics. Motivated by this simple consideration, we study the structure of null infinity and the associated BMS symmetry in a cosmological setting. For decelerating Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds, for which future null infinity exists, we find that the BMS transformations which leaves the asymptotic metric invariant to leading order. Contrary to the asymptotic flat case, the BMS transformations in cosmology generate Goldstone modes corresponding to scalar, vector and tensor degrees of freedom which may exist at null infinity and perturb the asymptotic data. Therefore, BMS transformations generate physically inequivalent vacua as they populate the universe at null infinity with these physical degrees of freedom. We also discuss the gravitational memory effect when cosmological expansion is taken into account. In this case, there are extra contribution to the gravitational memory due to the tail of the retarded Green functions which are supported not only on the light-cone, but also in its interior. The gravitational memory effect can be understood also from an asymptotic point of view as a transition among cosmological BMS-related vacua.

BMS in cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kehagias, A. [Physics Division, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Zografou Campus, Athens (Greece); Riotto, A. [Department of Theoretical Physics,24 quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva 4 (Switzerland); Center for Astroparticle Physics (CAP),24 quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva 4 (Switzerland)

2016-05-25

Symmetries play an interesting role in cosmology. They are useful in characterizing the cosmological perturbations generated during inflation and lead to consistency relations involving the soft limit of the statistical correlators of large-scale structure dark matter and galaxies overdensities. On the other hand, in observational cosmology the carriers of the information about these large-scale statistical distributions are light rays traveling on null geodesics. Motivated by this simple consideration, we study the structure of null infinity and the associated BMS symmetry in a cosmological setting. For decelerating Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds, for which future null infinity exists, we find that the BMS transformations which leaves the asymptotic metric invariant to leading order. Contrary to the asymptotic flat case, the BMS transformations in cosmology generate Goldstone modes corresponding to scalar, vector and tensor degrees of freedom which may exist at null infinity and perturb the asymptotic data. Therefore, BMS transformations generate physically inequivalent vacua as they populate the universe at null infinity with these physical degrees of freedom. We also discuss the gravitational memory effect when cosmological expansion is taken into account. In this case, there are extra contribution to the gravitational memory due to the tail of the retarded Green functions which are supported not only on the light-cone, but also in its interior. The gravitational memory effect can be understood also from an asymptotic point of view as a transition among cosmological BMS-related vacua.

Chameleon field dynamics during inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Saba, Nasim; Farhoudi, Mehrdad

By studying the chameleon model during inflation, we investigate whether it can be a successful inflationary model, wherein we employ the common typical potential usually used in the literature. Thus, in the context of the slow-roll approximations, we obtain the e-folding number for the model to verify the ability of resolving the problems of standard big bang cosmology. Meanwhile, we apply the constraints on the form of the chosen potential and also on the equation of state parameter coupled to the scalar field. However, the results of the present analysis show that there is not much chance of having the chameleonic inflation. Hence, we suggest that if through some mechanism the chameleon model can be reduced to the standard inflationary model, then it may cover the whole era of the universe from the inflation up to the late time.

Partially massless fields during inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Daniel; Goon, Garrett; Lee, Hayden; Pimentel, Guilherme L.

2018-04-01

The representation theory of de Sitter space allows for a category of partially massless particles which have no flat space analog, but could have existed during inflation. We study the couplings of these exotic particles to inflationary perturbations and determine the resulting signatures in cosmological correlators. When inflationary perturbations interact through the exchange of these fields, their correlation functions inherit scalings that cannot be mimicked by extra massive fields. We discuss in detail the squeezed limit of the tensor-scalar-scalar bispectrum, and show that certain partially massless fields can violate the tensor consistency relation of single-field inflation. We also consider the collapsed limit of the scalar trispectrum, and find that the exchange of partially massless fields enhances its magnitude, while giving no contribution to the scalar bispectrum. These characteristic signatures provide clean detection channels for partially massless fields during inflation.

What is the Globalisation of Inflation?

OpenAIRE

Altansukh, Gantungalag; Becker, Ralf; Bratsiotis, George J.; Osborn, Denise R.

2017-01-01

This paper studies the globalisation of CPI inflation by analysing core, energy and food components, testing for structural breaks in the relationships between domestic inflation and a corresponding country-specific foreign inflation series at the monthly frequency for OECD countries.The iterative methodology employed separates coefficient and variance breaks, while also taking account of outliers. We find that the overall pattern of globalisation in aggregate inflation is largely driven by c...

Inflation in the universe, Circa 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1986-12-01

The hot big bang cosmology, or the standard cosmology as it is appropriately known, is a highly successful model, providing a reliable and tested accounting of the Universe from 0.01 sec after the bang until today, some 15 Gyr later. However, very special initial data seem to be required in order to account for the observed smoothness and flatness of our Hubble volume and for the existence of the small primeval density inhomogeneities required for the formation of structure in the Universe. Inflation offers a means of accounting for these special initial data which is based upon physics at sub-planck energy scales ( 19 GeV) and is motivated by contemporary ideas in particle theory. Here I review the status of the 'Inflationary Paradigm,' ''Circa,'' 1986. At present essentially all inflationary models involve a very weakly-coupled (quantified by the presence of a dimensionless parameter of order 10 -12 or so) scalar field which is displaced from the minimum of its potential. Regions of the Universe where the scalar field is initially displaced from its minimum undergo inflation as the scalar field relaxes, resulting in a Universe today which resembles ours in regions much larger than our present Hubble volume (≅10 28 cm), but which on very large scales (>>10 28 cm) may be a highly irregular. At present, the most conspicuous blemish on the paradigm is the lack of a compelling particle physics model to implement it. Some other unresolved issues facing inflation, including the confrontation between inflation and observational data are also reviewed. 112 refs., 4 figs

Prospects of inflation in delicate D-brane cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panda, Sudhakar; Sami, M.; Tsujikawa, Shinji

2007-01-01

We study D-brane inflation in a warped conifold background that includes brane-position dependent corrections for the nonperturbative superpotential. Instead of stabilizing the volume modulus χ at instantaneous minima of the potential and studying the inflation dynamics with an effective single field (radial distance between a brane and an antibrane) φ, we investigate the multifield inflation scenario involving these two fields. The two-field dynamics with the potential V(φ,χ) in this model is significantly different from the effective single-field description in terms of the field φ when the field χ is integrated out. The latter picture underestimates the total number of e-foldings even by 1 order of magnitude. We show that a correct single-field description is provided by a field ψ obtained from a rotation in the two-field space along the background trajectory. This model can give a large number of e-foldings required to solve flatness and horizon problems at the expense of fine-tunings of model parameters. We also estimate the spectra of density perturbations and show that the slow-roll parameter η ψψ =M pl 2 V ,ψψ /V in terms of the rotated field ψ determines the spectral index of scalar metric perturbations. We find that it is generally difficult to satisfy, simultaneously, both constraints of the spectral index and the cosmic background explorer normalization, while the tensor to scalar ratio is sufficiently small to match with observations

Inflation, Reionization, and All That: The Primordial Inflation Explorer

Science.gov (United States)

Kogut, Alan J.

2012-01-01

The Primordial Inflation Explorer is an Explorer-class mission to measure the gravity-wave signature of primordial inflation through its distinctive imprint on the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background. PIXIE uses an innovative optical design to achieve background-limited sensitivity in 400 spectral channels spanning 2.5 decades in frequency from 30 GHz to 6 THz (1 cm to 50 micron wavelength). The principal science goal is the detection and characterization of linear polarization from an inflationary epoch in the early universe, with tensor-to-scalar ratio r < 10(exp -3) at 5 standard deviations. The rich PIXIE data set will also constrain physical processes ranging from Big Bang cosmology to the nature of the first stars to physical conditions within the interstellar medium of the Galaxy. I describe the PIXIE instrument and mission architecture needed to detect the inflationary signature using only 4 semiconductor bolometers.

Cosmology with cosmic microwave background anisotropy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Measurements of CMB anisotropy and, more recently, polarization have played a very important role in allowing precise determination of various parameters of the `standard' cosmological model. The expectation of the paradigm of inflation and the generic prediction of the simplest realization of inflationary scenario in the ...

Explosive dome eruptions modulated by periodic gas-driven inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Jeffrey B.; Lyons, John; Andrews, B. J.; Lees, J.M.

2014-01-01

Volcan Santiaguito (Guatemala) “breathes” with extraordinary regularity as the edifice's conduit system accumulates free gas, which periodically vents to the atmosphere. Periodic pressurization controls explosion timing, which nearly always occurs at peak inflation, as detected with tiltmeters. Tilt cycles in January 2012 reveal regular 26 ± 6 min inflation/deflation cycles corresponding to at least ~101 kg/s of gas fluxing the system. Very long period (VLP) earthquakes presage explosions and occur during cycles when inflation rates are most rapid. VLPs locate ~300 m below the vent and indicate mobilization of volatiles, which ascend at ~50 m/s. Rapid gas ascent feeds pyroclast-laden eruptions lasting several minutes and rising to ~1 km. VLPs are not observed during less rapid inflation episodes; instead, gas vents passively through the conduit producing no infrasound and no explosion. These observations intimate that steady gas exsolution and accumulation in shallow reservoirs may drive inflation cycles at open-vent silicic volcanoes.

Primordial two-component maximally symmetric inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Enqvist, K.; Nanopoulos, D. V.; Quirós, M.; Kounnas, C.

1985-12-01

We propose a two-component inflation model, based on maximally symmetric supergravity, where the scales of reheating and the inflation potential at the origin are decoupled. This is possible because of the second-order phase transition from SU(5) to SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1) that takes place when φ≅φcinflation at the global minimum, and leads to a reheating temperature TR≅(1015-1016) GeV. This makes it possible to generate baryon asymmetry in the conventional way without any conflict with experimental data on proton lifetime. The mass of the gravitinos is m3/2≅1012 GeV, thus avoiding the gravitino problem. Monopoles are diluted by residual inflation in the broken phase below the cosmological bounds if φcUSA.

Solving stochastic inflation for arbitrary potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, Jerome; Musso, Marcello

2006-01-01

A perturbative method for solving the Langevin equation of inflationary cosmology in the presence of backreaction is presented. In the Gaussian approximation, the method permits an explicit calculation of the probability distribution of the inflaton field for an arbitrary potential, with or without the volume effects taken into account. The perturbative method is then applied to various concrete models, namely, large field, small field, hybrid, and running mass inflation. New results on the stochastic behavior of the inflaton field in those models are obtained. In particular, it is confirmed that the stochastic effects can be important in new inflation while it is demonstrated they are negligible in (vacuum dominated) hybrid inflation. The case of stochastic running mass inflation is discussed in some details and it is argued that quantum effects blur the distinction between the four classical versions of this model. It is also shown that the self-reproducing regime is likely to be important in this case

Entropy generation and inflation in collision induced pre-big-bang cosmology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feinstein, A.; Kunze, K.E.; Vazquez-Mozo, M.A.

2000-01-01

We study inflation and entropy generation in a recently proposed pre-big-bang model universe produced in a collision of gravitational and dilaton waves. It is shown that enough inflation occurs provided the incoming waves are sufficiently weak. We also find that entropy in this model is dynamically

Particle cosmology comes of age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1988-01-01

The application of modern ideas in particle physics to astrophysical and cosmological settings is a continuation of a fruitful tradition in astrophysics which began with the application of atomic physics, and then nuclear physics. In the past decade particle cosmology and particle astrophysics have been recognized as 'legitimate activities' by both particle physicists and astrophysicists and astronomers. During this time there has been a high level of theoretical activity producing much speculation about the earliest history of the Universe, as well as important and interesting astrophysical and cosmological constraints to particle physics theories. This period of intense theoretical activity has produced a number of ideas most worthy of careful consideration and scrutiny, and even more importantly, amenable to experimental/observational test. Among the ideas which are likely to be tested in the next decade are: the cosmological bound to the number of neutrino flavors, inflation, relic WIMPs as the dark matter, and MSW neutrino oscillations as a solution to the solar neutrino problems. (orig.)

Particle cosmology comes of age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1987-12-01

The application of modern ideas in particle physics to astrophysical and cosmological settings is a continuation of a fruitful tradition in astrophysics which began with the application of atomic physics, and then nuclear physics. In the past decade particle cosmology and particle astrophysics have been recognized as 'legitimate activities' by both particle physicists and astrophysicists and astronomers. During this time there has been a high level of theoretical activity producing much speculation about the earliest history of the Universe, as well as important and interesting astrophysical and cosmological constraints to particle physics theories. This period of intense theoretical activity has produced a number of ideas most worthy of careful consideration and scrutiny, and even more importantly, amenable to experimental/observational test. Among the ideas which are likely to be tested in the next decade are: the cosmological bound to the number of neutrino flavors, inflation, relic WIMPs as the dark matter, and MSW neutrino oscillations as a solution to the solar neutrino problems. 94 refs

Staggered multi-field inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battefeld, Diana; Battefeld, Thorsten; Davis, Anne-Christine

2008-01-01

We investigate multi-field inflationary scenarios with fields that drop out of the model in a staggered fashion. This feature is natural in certain multi-field inflationary setups within string theory; for instance, it can manifest itself when fields are related to tachyons that condense, or inter-brane distances that become meaningless when branes annihilate. Considering a separable potential, and promoting the number of fields to a smooth time dependent function, we derive the formalism to deal with these models at the background and perturbed level, providing general expressions for the scalar spectral index and the running. We recover known results of e.g. a dynamically relaxing cosmological constant in the appropriate limits. We further show that isocurvature perturbations are suppressed during inflation, and so perturbations are adiabatic and nearly Gaussian. The resulting setup might be interpreted as a novel type of warm inflation, readily implemented within string theory and without many of the shortcomings associated with warm inflation. To exemplify the applicability of the formalism we consider three concrete models: assisted inflation with exponential potentials as a simple toy model (a graceful exit becomes possible), inflation from multiple tachyons (a constant decay rate of the number of fields and negligible slow roll contributions turns out to be in good agreement with observations) and inflation from multiple M5-branes within M-theory (a narrow stacking of branes yields a consistent scenario)

Embedding inflation into the Standard Model — More evidence for classical scale invariance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannike, Kristjan; Racioppi, Antonio; Raidal, Martti

2014-01-01

If cosmological inflation is due to a slowly rolling single inflation field taking trans-Planckian values as suggested by the BICEP2 measurement of primordial tensor modes in CMB, embedding inflation into the Standard Model challenges standard paradigm of effective field theories. Together with an apparent absence of Planck scale contributions to the Higgs mass and to the cosmological constant, BICEP2 provides further experimental evidence for the absence of large M_P induced operators. We show that classical scale invariance — the paradigm that all fundamental scales in Nature are induced by quantum effects — solves the problem and allows for a remarkably simple scale-free Standard Model extension with inflaton without extending the gauge group. Due to trans-Planckian inflaton values and vevs, a dynamically induced Coleman-Weinberg-type inflaton potential of the model can predict tensor-to-scalar ratio r in a large range, converging around the prediction of chaotic m"2ϕ"2 inflation for a large trans-Planckian value of the inflaton vev. Precise determination of r in future experiments will single out a unique scale-free inflation potential, allowing to test the proposed field-theoretic framework.

Cosmological constant, inflation and no-cloning theorem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang Qingguo, E-mail: huangqg@itp.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190 (China); Lin Fengli, E-mail: linfengli@phy.ntnu.edu.tw [Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Department of Physics, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 116, Taiwan (China)

2012-05-30

From the viewpoint of no-cloning theorem we postulate a relation between the current accelerated expansion of our universe and the inflationary expansion in the very early universe. It implies that the fate of our universe should be in a state with accelerated expansion. Quantitatively we find that the no-cloning theorem leads to a lower bound on the cosmological constant which is compatible with observations.

Reheating-volume measure for random-walk inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winitzki, Sergei

2008-01-01

The recently proposed 'reheating-volume' (RV) measure promises to solve the long-standing problem of extracting probabilistic predictions from cosmological multiverse scenarios involving eternal inflation. I give a detailed description of the new measure and its applications to generic models of eternal inflation of random-walk type. For those models I derive a general formula for RV-regulated probability distributions that is suitable for numerical computations. I show that the results of the RV cutoff in random-walk type models are always gauge invariant and independent of the initial conditions at the beginning of inflation. In a toy model where equal-time cutoffs lead to the 'youngness paradox', the RV cutoff yields unbiased results that are distinct from previously proposed measures.

G-warm inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrera, Ramón, E-mail: ramon.herrera@pucv.cl [Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avenida Brasil 2950, Casilla 4059, Valparaíso (Chile)

2017-05-01

A warm inflationary universe in the context of Galileon model or G-model is studied. Under a general formalism we study the inflationary dynamics and the cosmological perturbations considering a coupling of the form G (φ, X )= g (φ) X . As a concrete example, we consider an exponential potential together with the cases in which the dissipation and Galilean coefficients are constants. Also, we study the weak regime given by the condition R <1+3 gH φ-dot , and the strong regime in which 1< R +3 gH φ-dot . Additionally, we obtain constraints on the parameters during the evolution of G-warm inflation, assuming the condition for warm inflation in which the temperature T > H , the conditions or the weak and strong regimes, together with the consistency relation r = r ( n {sub s} ) from Planck data.

Non-singular string-cosmologies from exact conformal field theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega, H.J. de; Larsen, A.L.; Sanchez, N.

2001-01-01

Non-singular two and three dimensional string cosmologies are constructed using the exact conformal field theories corresponding to SO(2,1)/SO(1,1) and SO(2,2)/SO(2,1). All semi-classical curvature singularities are canceled in the exact theories for both of these cosets, but some new quantum curvature singularities emerge. However, considering different patches of the global manifolds, allows the construction of non-singular space-times with cosmological interpretation. In both two and three dimensions, we construct non-singular oscillating cosmologies, non-singular expanding and inflationary cosmologies including a de Sitter (exponential) stage with positive scalar curvature as well as non-singular contracting and deflationary cosmologies. Similarities between the two and three dimensional cases suggest a general picture for higher dimensional coset cosmologies: Anisotropy seems to be a generic unavoidable feature, cosmological singularities are generically avoided and it is possible to construct non-singular cosmologies where some spatial dimensions are experiencing inflation while the others experience deflation

Inflation Protected Investment Strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirco Mahlstedt

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a dynamic inflation-protected investment strategy is presented, which is based on traditional asset classes and Markov-switching models. Different stock market, as well as inflation regimes are identified, and within those regimes, the inflation hedging potential of stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities and gold are investigated. Within each regime, we determine optimal investment portfolios driven by the investment idea of protection from losses due to changing inflation if inflation is rising or high, but decoupling the performance from inflation if inflation is low. The results clearly indicate that these asset classes behave differently in different stock market and inflation regimes. Whereas in the long-run, we agree with the general opinion in the literature that stocks and bonds are a suitable hedge against inflation, we observe for short time horizons that the hedging potential of each asset class, especially of real estate and commodities, depend strongly on the state of the current market environment. Thus, our approach provides a possible explanation for different statements in the literature regarding the inflation hedging properties of these asset classes. A dynamic inflation-protected investment strategy is developed, which combines inflation protection and upside potential. This strategy outperforms standard buy-and-hold strategies, as well as the well-known 1 N -portfolio.

Effects of heavy fields on inflationary cosmology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ortiz, Pablo

2014-01-01

Cosmological inflation is the most successful theory that explains the homogeneity and flatness of the early universe. It also provides a quantum origin for the primordial perturbations that we observe in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB). The simplest models make use of a single

Hamilton-Jacobi approach to non-slow-roll inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinney, W.H.

1997-01-01

I describe a general approach to characterizing cosmological inflation outside the standard slow-roll approximation, based on the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of scalar field dynamics. The basic idea is to view the equation of state of the scalar field matter as the fundamental dynamical variable, as opposed to the field value or the expansion rate. I discuss how to formulate the equations of motion for scalar and tensor fluctuations in situations where the assumption of slow roll is not valid. I apply the general results to the simple case of inflation from an open-quotes invertedclose quotes polynomial potential, and to the more complicated case of hybrid inflation. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

CMB scale dependent non-Gaussianity from massive gravity during inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domènech, Guillem; Hiramatsu, Takashi; Lin, Chunshan; Sasaki, Misao [Center for Gravitational Physics, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502 (Japan); Shiraishi, Maresuke [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, 277-8583 (Japan); Wang, Yi, E-mail: guillem.domenech@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: hiramatz@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: chunshan.lin@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: misao@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: shiraishi-m@t.kagawa-nct.ac.jp, E-mail: phyw@ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

2017-05-01

We consider a cosmological model in which the tensor mode becomes massive during inflation, and study the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization bispectra arising from the mixing between the scalar mode and the massive tensor mode during inflation. The model assumes the existence of a preferred spatial frame during inflation. The local Lorentz invariance is already broken in cosmology due to the existence of a preferred rest frame. The existence of a preferred spatial frame further breaks the remaining local SO(3) invariance and in particular gives rise to a mass in the tensor mode. At linear perturbation level, we minimize our model so that the vector mode remains non-dynamical, while the scalar mode is the same as the one in single-field slow-roll inflation. At non-linear perturbation level, this inflationary massive graviton phase leads to a sizeable scalar-scalar-tensor coupling, much greater than the scalar-scalar-scalar one, as opposed to the conventional case. This scalar-scalar-tensor interaction imprints a scale dependent feature in the CMB temperature and polarization bispectra. Very intriguingly, we find a surprizing similarity between the predicted scale dependence and the scale-dependent non-Gaussianities at low multipoles hinted in the WMAP and Planck results.

Inflation in the universe, Circa 1986

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, M.S.

1986-12-01

The hot big bang cosmology, or the standard cosmology as it is appropriately known, is a highly successful model, providing a reliable and tested accounting of the Universe from 0.01 sec after the bang until today, some 15 Gyr later. However, very special initial data seem to be required in order to account for the observed smoothness and flatness of our Hubble volume and for the existence of the small primeval density inhomogeneities required for the formation of structure in the Universe. Inflation offers a means of accounting for these special initial data which is based upon physics at sub-planck energy scales (<inflation as the scalar field relaxes, resulting in a Universe today which resembles ours in regions much larger than our present Hubble volume (approx. =10/sup 28/ cm), but which on very large scales (>>10/sup 28/ cm) may be a highly irregular. At present, the most conspicuous blemish on the paradigm is the lack of a compelling particle physics model to implement it. Some other unresolved issues facing inflation, including the confrontation between inflation and observational data are also reviewed. 112 refs., 4 figs.

Cosmological special relativity the large scale structure of space, time and velocity

CERN Document Server

Carmeli, Moshe

1997-01-01

This book deals with special relativity theory and its application to cosmology. It presents Einstein's theory of space and time in detail, and describes the large scale structure of space, time and velocity as a new cosmological special relativity. A cosmological Lorentz-like transformation, which relates events at different cosmic times, is derived and applied. A new law of addition of cosmic times is obtained, and the inflation of the space at the early universe is derived, both from the cosmological transformation. The book will be of interest to cosmologists, astrophysicists, theoretical

Cosmological special relativity the large scale structure of space, time and velocity

CERN Document Server

Carmeli, Moshe

2002-01-01

This book presents Einstein's theory of space and time in detail, and describes the large-scale structure of space, time and velocity as a new cosmological special relativity. A cosmological Lorentz-like transformation, which relates events at different cosmic times, is derived and applied. A new law of addition of cosmic times is obtained, and the inflation of the space at the early universe is derived, both from the cosmological transformation. The relationship between cosmic velocity, acceleration and distances is given. In the appendices gravitation is added in the form of a cosmological g

Path integral for multi-field inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Jinn-Ouk [Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Pohang 37673 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics, Postech, Pohang 37673 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Min-Seok [Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, Institute for Basic Science, 34051 Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Shiu, Gary [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Department of Physics & Institute for Advanced Study, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay (Hong Kong)

2016-07-20

We develop the path integral formalism for studying cosmological perturbations in multi-field inflation, which is particularly well suited to study quantum theories with gauge symmetries such as diffeomorphism invariance. We formulate the gauge fixing conditions based on the Poisson brackets of the constraints, from which we derive two convenient gauges that are appropriate for multi-field inflation. We then adopt the in-in formalism to derive the most general expression for the power spectrum of the curvature perturbation including the corrections from the interactions of the curvature mode with other light degrees of freedom. We also discuss the contributions of the interactions to the bispectrum.

Detection of gravitational waves from inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamionkowski, M.; Jaffe, A.H.

2001-01-01

Recent measurements of temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) indicate that the Universe is flat and that large-scale structure grew via gravitational infall from primordial adiabatic perturbations. Both of these observations seem to indicate that we are on the right track with inflation. But what is the new physics responsible for inflation? This question can be answered with observations of the polarization of the CMB. Inflation predicts robustly the existence of a stochastic background of cosmological gravitational waves with an amplitude proportional to the square of the energy scale of inflation. This gravitational-wave background induces a unique signature in the polarization of the CMB. If inflation took place at an energy scale much smaller than that of grand unification, then the signal will be too small to be detectable. However, if inflation had something to do with grand unification or Planck-scale physics, then the signal is conceivably detectable in the optimistic case by the Planck satellite, or if not, then by a dedicated post-Planck CMB polarization experiment. Realistic developments in detector technology as well as a proper scan strategy could produce such a post-Planck experiment that would improve on Planck's sensitivity to the gravitational-wave background by several orders of magnitude in a decade timescale. (author)

Universality in generalized models of inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binétruy, P.; Pieroni, M. [AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, CEA, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 10, rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France); Mabillard, J., E-mail: pierre.binetruy@apc.univ-paris7.fr, E-mail: joel.mabillard@ed.ac.uk, E-mail: mauro.pieroni@apc.in2p3.fr [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ (United Kingdom)

2017-03-01

We discuss the cosmological evolution of a scalar field with non standard kinetic term in terms of a Renormalization Group Equation (RGE). In this framework inflation corresponds to the slow evolution in a neighborhood of a fixed point and universality classes for inflationary models naturally arise. Using some examples we show the application of the formalism. The predicted values for the speed of sound c {sub s} {sup 2} and for the amount of non-Gaussianities produced in these models are discussed. In particular, we show that it is possible to introduce models with c {sub s} {sup 2} ≠ 1 that can be in agreement with present cosmological observations.

Plateau inflation in R-parity violating MSSM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Girish Kumar Chakravarty

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Inflation with plateau potentials give the best fit to the CMB observables as they predict tensor to scalar ratio stringently bounded by the observations from Planck and BICEP2/Keck. In supergravity models it is possible to obtain plateau potentials for scalar fields in the Einstein frame which can serve as the inflation potential by considering higher dimensional Planck suppressed operators and by the choice of non-canonical Kähler potentials. We construct a plateau inflation model in MSSM where the inflation occurs along a sneutrino-Higgs flat direction. A hidden sector Polonyi field is used for the breaking of supersymmetry after the end of the inflation. The proper choice of superpotential leads to strong stabilization of the Polonyi field, mZ2≫m3/22, which is required to solve the cosmological moduli problem. Also, the SUSY breaking results in a TeV scale gravitino mass and scalar masses and gives rise to bilinear and trilinear couplings of scalars which can be tested at the LHC. The sneutrino inflation field can be observed at the LHC as a TeV scale diphoton resonance like the one reported by CMS and ATLAS.

Inflation with a constant rate of roll

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motohashi, Hayato; Starobinsky, Alexei A.; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2015-01-01

We consider an inflationary scenario where the rate of inflaton roll defined by ·· φ/H φ-dot remains constant. The rate of roll is small for slow-roll inflation, while a generic rate of roll leads to the interesting case of 'constant-roll' inflation. We find a general exact solution for the inflaton potential required for such inflaton behaviour. In this model, due to non-slow evolution of background, the would-be decaying mode of linear scalar (curvature) perturbations may not be neglected. It can even grow for some values of the model parameter, while the other mode always remains constant. However, this always occurs for unstable solutions which are not attractors for the given potential. The most interesting particular cases of constant-roll inflation remaining viable with the most recent observational data are quadratic hilltop inflation (with cutoff) and natural inflation (with an additional negative cosmological constant). In these cases even-order slow-roll parameters approach non-negligible constants while the odd ones are asymptotically vanishing in the quasi-de Sitter regime

Origin of density fluctuations in extended inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.; Salopek, D.S.; Turner, M.S.

1990-05-01

The density fluctuations (both curvature and isocurvature) that arise due to quantum fluctuations in a simple model of extended inflation based upon the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory are calculated. Curvature fluctuations arise due to quantum fluctuations in the Brans-Dicke field, in general have a nonscale-invariant spectrum, and can have an amplitude that is cosmologically acceptable and interesting without having to tune any coupling constant to a very small value. The density perturbations that arise due to the inflation field are subdominant. If there are other massless fields in the theory, e.g., an axion or an ilion, then isocurvature fluctuations arise in these fields too. Production of gravitational waves and the massless particles associated with excitations of the Brans-Dicke field are also discussed. Several attempts at more realistic models of extended inflation are also analyzed. The importance of the Einstein conformal frame in calculating curvature fluctuations is emphasized. When viewed in this frame, extended inflation closely resembles slow-rollover inflation with an exponential potential and the usual formula for the amplitude of curvature perturbations applies

The Early Universe: Searching for Evidence of Cosmic Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2012-01-01

In the past two decades, our understanding of the evolution and fate of the universe has increased dramatically. This "Age of Precision Cosmology" has been ushered in by measurements that have both elucidated the details of the Big Bang cosmology and set the direction for future lines of inquiry. Our universe appears to consist of 5% baryonic matter; 23% of the universe's energy content is dark matter which is responsible for the observed structure in the universe; and 72% of the energy density is so-called "dark energy" that is currently accelerating the expansion of the universe. In addition, our universe has been measured to be geometrically flat to 1 %. These observations and related details of the Big Bang paradigm have hinted that the universe underwent an epoch of accelerated expansion known as "inflation" early in its history. In this talk, I will review the highlights of modern cosmology, focusing on the contributions made by measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang. I will also describe new instruments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in order to search for evidence of cosmic inflation.

On the possibility of braneworld quintessential inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Mafalda; Liddle, Andrew R.

2010-01-01

We examine the possibility of achieving quintessential inflation, where the same field serves as both inflaton and quintessence, in the context of a five-dimensional braneworld. Braneworld cosmology provides an appropriate environment as it permits inflation with much steeper potentials than the conventional scenario, which is favorable to a late-time quintessence. We explore a wide space of models, together with contemporary observational data, to determine in which contexts such a picture is possible. We find that such a scenario, although attractive, is in fact impossible to achieve for the potentials studied due to the restrictiveness of current data.

Nonsingular cosmology with a scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological perturbations from Lee-Wick theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Yifu; Qiu Taotao; Brandenberger, Robert; Zhang Xinmin

2009-01-01

We study the cosmology of a Lee-Wick type scalar field theory. First, we consider homogeneous and isotropic background solutions and find that they are nonsingular, leading to cosmological bounces. Next, we analyze the spectrum of cosmological perturbations which result from this model. Unless either the potential of the Lee-Wick theory or the initial conditions are finely tuned, it is impossible to obtain background solutions which have a sufficiently long period of inflation after the bounce. More interestingly, however, we find that in the generic noninflationary bouncing cosmology, perturbations created from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase have the correct form to lead to a scale-invariant spectrum of metric inhomogeneities in the expanding phase. Since the background is nonsingular, the evolution of the fluctuations is defined unambiguously through the bounce. We also analyze the evolution of fluctuations which emerge from thermal initial conditions in the contracting phase. The spectrum of gravitational waves stemming from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase is also scale-invariant, and the tensor to scalar ratio is not suppressed.

Cosmological implications of Higgs near-criticality.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa, J R

2018-03-06

The Standard Model electroweak (EW) vacuum, in the absence of new physics below the Planck scale, lies very close to the boundary between stability and metastability, with the last option being the most probable. Several cosmological implications of this so-called 'near-criticality' are discussed. In the metastable vacuum case, the main challenges that the survival of the EW vacuum faces during the evolution of the Universe are analysed. In the stable vacuum case, the possibility of implementing Higgs inflation is critically examined.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Higgs cosmology'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Soft theorems for shift-symmetric cosmologies

Science.gov (United States)

Finelli, Bernardo; Goon, Garrett; Pajer, Enrico; Santoni, Luca

2018-03-01

We derive soft theorems for single-clock cosmologies that enjoy a shift symmetry. These so-called consistency conditions arise from a combination of a large diffeomorphism and the internal shift symmetry and fix the squeezed limit of all correlators with a soft scalar mode. As an application, we show that our results reproduce the squeezed bispectrum for ultra-slow-roll inflation, a particular shift-symmetric, nonattractor model which is known to violate Maldacena's consistency relation. Similar results have been previously obtained by Mooij and Palma using background-wave methods. Our results shed new light on the infrared structure of single-clock cosmological spacetimes.

Raising the Bar: A Data-Driven Discussion on Grade Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Laurie, Robert

2009-01-01

The practice of handing out excellent grades to students who don't deserve them (grade inflation) is not a new phenomenon. Indeed grade inflation is among the oldest and most difficult issues to address in higher education. The author first studied the impact of grade inflation on student performance on standardized tests at the high school level…

A Science-Driven Performance Specification Framework for Space-Based Neutral Hydrogen Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Pober, Jonathan

Experiments Observations of the highly-redshifted 21 cm hyperfine line of neutral hydrogen (HI) are one of the most promising probes for the future of cosmology. In principle, once the spin temperature of cosmic hydrogen decouples from the Cosmic Microwave Background at z ˜ 200, all neutral hydrogen at lower redshifts becomes visible through its hyperfine line emission. Observations at meter wavelength probe the state of HI in the intergalactic medium during the epoch of reionization, offering insight into the nature of the first stars and galaxies — a key component of NASA’s Cosmic Origins Program. By pushing observations to higher redshifts (and therefore longer wavelengths), the HI signal becomes the only measurable emission, as luminous objects have yet to form. Observations of these cosmic “dark ages” can offer unprecedented insight into the primordial spectrum of density perturbations and the very nature of inflation, answering questions at the heart of NASA’s Physics of the Cosmos Program. At these very low radio frequencies, however, the earth’s ionosphere becomes opaque — necessitating observations from space. NASA’s “Enduring Quests, Daring Visions” Astrophysics Roadmap recognized the great promise of these observations, and proposed the visionary Cosmic Dawn Mapper — an array of thousands of radio antennas on the far side of the moon — to conduct them. However, the major challenge to neutral hydrogen cosmology (at all redshifts) lies in the presence of bright foreground emission, which can dominate the HI signal by as much as eight orders of magnitude during the dark ages. The only method for extracting the cosmological signal relies on the spectral smoothness of the foregrounds; since each frequency of the HI signal probes a different redshift, the cosmological emission is essentially uncorrelated from frequency to frequency. The key challenge for designing an experiment lies in maintaining the spectral smoothness of the

The R + var-epsilon R2 cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, M.S.

1988-01-01

This thesis presents the study of a model cosmology based on the R + var-epsilon R 2 gravitational Lagrangian. It may be roughly divided into two distinct parts. First, the classical inflationary scenario is developed. Then, the formalism of quantum cosmology is employed to determined initial conditions for the classical model. In the work on the classical model, the evolution equations for an isotropic and homogeneous universe are solved to exhibit both early-time inflation and a smooth transition to subsequent radiation-dominated behavior. Then perturbations on this isotropic background are evolved through the model to provide constraints on the model parameters from the observational limits on anisotropy today. In the work on the wave function, the two boundary conditions of Vilenkin and Hartle and Hawking are compared. The wave functions obtained are restricted to the initial edge of classical Lorentzian inflationary trajectories as distributions over initial conditions for the classical inflationary model. It is found that Vilenkin's wave function prefers the universe to undergo a great deal of inflation, whereas Hartle and Hawking's wave function prefers the universe to undergo little inflation. Finally, both boundary conditions are shown to require the inhomogeneous perturbative modes start out in their ground states

Large-scale perturbations from the waterfall field in hybrid inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fonseca, José; Wands, David; Sasaki, Misao

2010-01-01

We estimate large-scale curvature perturbations from isocurvature fluctuations in the waterfall field during hybrid inflation, in addition to the usual inflaton field perturbations. The tachyonic instability at the end of inflation leads to an explosive growth of super-Hubble scale perturbations, but they retain the steep blue spectrum characteristic of vacuum fluctuations in a massive field during inflation. The power spectrum thus peaks around the Hubble-horizon scale at the end of inflation. We extend the usual δN formalism to include the essential role of these small fluctuations when estimating the large-scale curvature perturbation. The resulting curvature perturbation due to fluctuations in the waterfall field is second-order and the spectrum is expected to be of order 10 −54 on cosmological scales

Relaxing the cosmological constant: a proof of concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alberte, Lasma [SISSA,Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste (Italy); INFN - Sezione di Trieste,Via Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste (Italy); Creminelli, Paolo; Khmelnitsky, Andrei [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP),Strada Costiera 11, 34151, Trieste (Italy); Pirtskhalava, David [Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne,CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland); Trincherini, Enrico [Scuola Normale Superiore,Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126, Pisa (Italy); INFN - Sezione di Pisa,56200, Pisa (Italy)

2016-12-06

We propose a technically natural scenario whereby an initially large cosmological constant (c.c.) is relaxed down to the observed value due to the dynamics of a scalar evolving on a very shallow potential. The model crucially relies on a sector that violates the null energy condition (NEC) and gets activated only when the Hubble rate becomes sufficiently small — of the order of the present one. As a result of NEC violation, this low-energy universe evolves into inflation, followed by reheating and the standard Big Bang cosmology. The symmetries of the theory force the c.c. to be the same before and after the NEC-violating phase, so that a late-time observer sees an effective c.c. of the correct magnitude. Importantly, our model allows neither for eternal inflation nor for a set of possible values of dark energy, the latter fixed by the parameters of the theory.

Inflation and Dark Energy with a Single Superfield

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Linde, Andrei; Roest, Diederik; Scalisi, Marco

2015-01-01

We discuss the possibility to construct supergravity models with a single superfield describing inflation as well as the tiny cosmological constant $V \\sim 10^{{-120}}$. One could expect that the simplest way to do it is to study models with a supersymmetric Minkowski vacuum and then slightly uplift

Vacuum Energy and Inflation: 3. Newtonian Cosmology & GR

Science.gov (United States)

Huggins, Elisha

2013-01-01

This is paper #3 in a series of four papers on "vacuum energy" and inflation. In paper #1 [see EJ1024183] we discussed an example of what we have been calling vacuum energy. It is an energy with negative pressure whose energy density remains constant in an expanding space. We showed that an energy density with these properties exists…

Non-Gaussianity from inflation: theory and observations

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolo, N.; Komatsu, E.; Matarrese, S.; Riotto, A.

2004-11-01

This is a review of models of inflation and of their predictions for the primordial non-Gaussianity in the density perturbations which are thought to be at the origin of structures in the Universe. Non-Gaussianity emerges as a key observable to discriminate among competing scenarios for the generation of cosmological perturbations and is one of the primary targets of present and future Cosmic Microwave Background satellite missions. We give a detailed presentation of the state-of-the-art of the subject of non-Gaussianity, both from the theoretical and the observational point of view, and provide all the tools necessary to compute at second order in perturbation theory the level of non-Gaussianity in any model of cosmological perturbations. We discuss the new wave of models of inflation, which are firmly rooted in modern particle physics theory and predict a significant amount of non-Gaussianity. The review is addressed to both astrophysicists and particle physicists and contains useful tables which summarize the theoretical and observational results regarding non-Gaussianity.

Inflation Experiences in Latin America, 2007-2008

OpenAIRE

Mark Weisbrot; David Rosnick

2009-01-01

This paper looks briefly at the recent inflation experiences of ten Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia. The authors construct a core inflation index (excluding food and energy), and look at three-month changes in both headline and core inflation. The paper focuses on the increase in inflation from April 2007 to July 2008, driven by a surge in food and energy prices worldwide. These prices have sin...

Starobinsky-like inflation and neutrino masses in a no-scale SO(10) model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, John [Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology Group,Department of Physics, King’s College London, WC2R 2LS London (United Kingdom); Theoretical Physics Department, CERN,CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Garcia, Marcos A.G. [Physics and Astronomy Department, Rice University,6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 (United States); Nagata, Natsumi [Department of Physics, University of Tokyo,Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Nanopoulos, Dimitri V. [George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy,Texas A& M University, College Station, 77843 Texas (United States); Olive, Keith A. [William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota,116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)

2016-11-08

Using a no-scale supergravity framework, we construct an SO(10) model that makes predictions for cosmic microwave background observables similar to those of the Starobinsky model of inflation, and incorporates a double-seesaw model for neutrino masses consistent with oscillation experiments and late-time cosmology. We pay particular attention to the behaviour of the scalar fields during inflation and the subsequent reheating.

Starobinsky-Like Inflation and Neutrino Masses in a No-Scale SO(10) Model

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John

2016-11-08

Using a no-scale supergravity framework, we construct an SO(10) model that makes predictions for cosmic microwave background observables similar to those of the Starobinsky model of inflation, and incorporates a double-seesaw model for neutrino masses consistent with oscillation experiments and late-time cosmology. We pay particular attention to the behaviour of the scalar fields during inflation and the subsequent reheating.

Is inflation from unwinding fluxes IIB?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gautason, Fridrik Freyr [Instituut voor Theoretische Fysica, K.University Leuven,Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Institut de Physique Théorique, Université Paris Saclay, CEA, CNRS,Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Schillo, Marjorie; Riet, Thomas Van [Instituut voor Theoretische Fysica, K.University Leuven,Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)

2017-03-07

In this paper we argue that the mechanism of unwinding inflation is naturally present in warped compactifications of type IIB string theory with local throats. The unwinding of flux is caused by its annihilation against branes. The resulting inflaton potential is linear with periodic modulations. We initiate an analysis of the inflationary dynamics and cosmological observables, which are highly constrained by moduli stabilization. For the simplified model of single-Kähler Calabi-Yau spaces we find that many, though not all of the consistency constraints can be satisfied. Particularly, in this simple model geometric constraints are in tension with obtaining the observed amplitude of the scalar power spectrum. However, we do find 60 efolds of inflation with a trans-Planckian field excursion which offers the hope that slightly more complicated models can lead to a fully consistent explicit construction of large field inflation of this kind.

A Delicate Universe: Compactification Obstacles to D-brane Inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumann, Daniel; Dymarsky, Anatoly; McAllister, Liam; Klebanov, Igor R.; Steinhardt, Paul J.

2007-01-01

We investigate whether explicit models of warped D-brane inflation are possible in string compactifications. To this end, we study the potential for D3-brane motion in a warped conifold that includes holomorphically embedded D7-branes involved in moduli stabilization. The presence of the D7-branes significantly modifies the inflaton potential. We construct an example based on a very simple and symmetric embedding due to Kuperstein, z 1 =const, in which it is possible to fine-tune the potential so that slow-roll inflation can occur. The resulting model is rather delicate: inflation occurs in the vicinity of an inflection point, and the cosmological predictions are extremely sensitive to the precise shape of the potential

Inhomogeneous anisotropic cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleban, Matthew; Senatore, Leonardo

2016-01-01

In homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology, the topology of the universe determines its ultimate fate. If the Weak Energy Condition is satisfied, open and flat universes must expand forever, while closed cosmologies can recollapse to a Big Crunch. A similar statement holds for homogeneous but anisotropic (Bianchi) universes. Here, we prove that arbitrarily inhomogeneous and anisotropic cosmologies with “flat” (including toroidal) and “open” (including compact hyperbolic) spatial topology that are initially expanding must continue to expand forever at least in some region at a rate bounded from below by a positive number, despite the presence of arbitrarily large density fluctuations and/or the formation of black holes. Because the set of 3-manifold topologies is countable, a single integer determines the ultimate fate of the universe, and, in a specific sense, most 3-manifolds are “flat” or “open”. Our result has important implications for inflation: if there is a positive cosmological constant (or suitable inflationary potential) and initial conditions for the inflaton, cosmologies with “flat” or “open” topology must expand forever in some region at least as fast as de Sitter space, and are therefore very likely to begin inflationary expansion eventually, regardless of the scale of the inflationary energy or the spectrum and amplitude of initial inhomogeneities and gravitational waves. Our result is also significant for numerical general relativity, which often makes use of periodic (toroidal) boundary conditions.

Volume-weighted measure for eternal inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winitzki, Sergei

2008-01-01

I propose a new volume-weighted probability measure for cosmological 'multiverse' scenarios involving eternal inflation. The 'reheating-volume (RV) cutoff' calculates the distribution of observable quantities on a portion of the reheating hypersurface that is conditioned to be finite. The RV measure is gauge-invariant, does not suffer from the 'youngness paradox', and is independent of initial conditions at the beginning of inflation. In slow-roll inflationary models with a scalar inflaton, the RV-regulated probability distributions can be obtained by solving nonlinear diffusion equations. I discuss possible applications of the new measure to 'landscape' scenarios with bubble nucleation. As an illustration, I compute the predictions of the RV measure in a simple toy landscape.

Inflation from Minkowski space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirtskhalava, David; Santoni, Luca; Trincherini, Enrico; Uttayarat, Patipan

2014-01-01

We propose a class of scalar models that, once coupled to gravity, lead to cosmologies that smoothly and stably connect an inflationary quasi-de Sitter universe to a low, or even zero-curvature, maximally symmetric spacetime in the asymptotic past, strongly violating the null energy condition ( H-dot ≫H"2) at intermediate times. The models are deformations of the conformal galileon lagrangian and are therefore based on symmetries, both exact and approximate, that ensure the quantum robustness of the whole picture. The resulting cosmological backgrounds can be viewed as regularized extensions of the galilean genesis scenario, or, equivalently, as ‘early-time-complete’ realizations of inflation. The late-time inflationary dynamics possesses phenomenologically interesting properties: it can produce a large tensor-to-scalar ratio within the regime of validity of the effective field theory and can lead to sizeable equilateral nongaussianities.

Higgs mechanism and cosmological constant in N = 1 supergravity with inflaton in a vector multiplet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldabergenov, Yermek [Tokyo Metropolitan University, Department of Physics, Tokyo (Japan); Ketov, Sergei V. [Tokyo Metropolitan University, Department of Physics, Tokyo (Japan); The University of Tokyo, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU), Chiba (Japan); Tomsk Polytechnic University, Institute of Physics and Technology, Tomsk (Russian Federation)

2017-04-15

The N = 1 supergravity models of cosmological inflation with an inflaton belonging to a massive vector multiplet and spontaneous SUSY breaking after inflation are reformulated as the supersymmetric U(1) gauge theories of a massless vector superfield interacting with the Higgs and Polonyi chiral superfields, all coupled to supergravity. The U(1) gauge sector is identified with the U(1) gauge fields of the super-GUT coupled to supergravity, whose gauge group has a U(1) factor. A positive cosmological constant (dark energy) is included. The scalar potential is calculated, and its de Sitter vacuum solution is found to be stable. (orig.)

Black holes from extended inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, S.D.H.; Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA

1990-01-01

It is argued that models of extended inflation, in which modified Einstein gravity allows a graceful exit from the false vacuum, lead to copious production of black holes. The critical temperature of the inflationary phase transition must be >10 8 GeV in order to avoid severe cosmological problems in a universe dominated by black holes. We speculate on the possibility that the interiors of false vacuum regions evolve into baby universes. (orig.)

Inflating baby-Skyrme branes in six dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brihaye, Yves; Delsate, Terence; Kodama, Yuta; Sawado, Nobuyuki

2010-01-01

We consider a six-dimensional brane world model, where the brane is described by a localized solution to the baby-Skyrme model extending in the extra dimensions. The branes have a cosmological constant modeled by inflating four-dimensional slices, and we further consider a bulk cosmological constant. We construct solutions numerically and present evidence that the solutions cease to exist for large values of the brane cosmological constant in some particular case. Then we study the stability of the model by considering perturbation of the gravitational part (resp. baby Skyrmion) with fixed matter fields (resp. gravitational background). Our results indicate that the perturbation equations do not admit localized solutions for certain type of perturbation. The stability analysis can be alternatively seen as leading to a particle spectrum; we give mass estimations for the baby-Skyrme perturbation and for the graviton.

General very special relativity in Finsler cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kouretsis, A. P.; Stathakopoulos, M.; Stavrinos, P. C.

2009-01-01

General very special relativity (GVSR) is the curved space-time of very special relativity (VSR) proposed by Cohen and Glashow. The geometry of general very special relativity possesses a line element of Finsler geometry introduced by Bogoslovsky. We calculate the Einstein field equations and derive a modified Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology for an osculating Riemannian space. The Friedmann equation of motion leads to an explanation of the cosmological acceleration in terms of an alternative non-Lorentz invariant theory. A first order approach for a primordial-spurionic vector field introduced into the metric gives back an estimation of the energy evolution and inflation.

Early universe cosmology and tests of fundamental physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, Andreas; Frieman, Joshua A.; Trodden, Mark

2002-01-01

This is the report of the Working Group on Early Universe Cosmology and tests of Fundamental Physics, group P4.8 of the of the Snowmass 2001 conference. Here we summarize the impressive array of advances that have taken place in this field, and identify opportunities for even greater progress in the future. Topics include Dark Energy, Cosmic Acceleration, Inflation, Phase Transitions, Baryogenesis, and String/M-theory Cosmology. The introductory section gives an executive summary with six key open questions on which we can expect to make significant progress

A bulk viscosity driven inflationary model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waga, I.; Falcao, R.C.; Chanda, R.

1985-01-01

Bulk viscosity associated with the production of heavy particles during the GUT phase transition can lead to exponential or 'generalized' inflation. The condition of inflation proposed is independent of the details of the phase transition and remains unaltered in presence of a cosmological constant. Such mechanism avoids the extreme supercooling and reheating needed in the usual inflationary models. The standard baryongenesis mechanism can be maintained. (Author) [pt

Simple inflationary models in Gauss–Bonnet brane-world cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Nobuchika; Okada, Satomi

2016-01-01

In light of the recent Planck 2015 results for the measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, we study simple inflationary models in the context of the Gauss–Bonnet (GB) brane-world cosmology. The brane-world cosmological effect modifies the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations generated by inflation and causes a dramatic change for the inflationary predictions of the spectral index ( n s ) and the tensor-to-scalar ratio ( r ) from those obtained in the standard cosmology. In particular, the predicted r values in the inflationary models favored by the Planck 2015 results are suppressed due to the GB brane-world cosmological effect, which is in sharp contrast with inflationary scenario in the Randall–Sundrum brane-world cosmology, where the r values are enhanced. Hence, these two brane-world cosmological scenarios are distinguishable. With the dramatic change of the inflationary predictions, the inflationary scenario in the GB brane-world cosmology can be tested by more precise measurements of n s and future observations of the CMB B -mode polarization. (paper)

Inflation and dark energy arising from geometrical tachyons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panda, Sudhakar; Sami, M.; Tsujikawa, Shinji

2006-01-01

We study the motion of a Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield D3-brane in the NS5-brane ring background. The radion field becomes tachyonic in this geometrical setup. We investigate the potential of this geometrical tachyon in the cosmological scenario for inflation as well as dark energy. We evaluate the spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations generated during tachyon inflation and show that this model is compatible with recent observations of cosmic microwave background due to an extra freedom of the number of NS5-branes. It is not possible to explain the origin of both inflation and dark energy by using a single tachyon field, since the energy density at the potential minimum is not negligibly small because of the amplitude of scalar perturbations set by cosmic microwave background anisotropies. However, the geometrical tachyon can account for dark energy when the number of NS5-branes is large, provided that inflation is realized by another scalar field

Barbero-Immirzi parameter as a scalar field: K-inflation from loop quantum gravity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taveras, Victor; Yunes, Nicolas

2008-01-01

We consider a loop-quantum gravity inspired modification of general relativity, where the Holst action is generalized by making the Barbero-Immirzi (BI) parameter a scalar field, whose value could be dynamically determined. The modified theory leads to a nonzero torsion tensor that corrects the field equations through quadratic first derivatives of the BI field. Such a correction is equivalent to general relativity in the presence of a scalar field with nontrivial kinetic energy. This stress energy of this field is automatically covariantly conserved by its own dynamical equations of motion, thus satisfying the strong equivalence principle. Every general relativistic solution remains a solution to the modified theory for any constant value of the BI field. For arbitrary time-varying BI fields, a study of cosmological solutions reduces the scalar-field stress energy to that of a pressureless perfect fluid in a comoving reference frame, forcing the scale-factor dynamics to be equivalent to those of a stiff equation of state. Upon ultraviolet completion, this model could provide a natural mechanism for k inflation, where the role of the inflaton is played by the BI field and inflation is driven by its nontrivial kinetic energy instead of a potential.

Natural inflation with hidden scale invariance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil D. Barrie

2016-05-01

Full Text Available We propose a new class of natural inflation models based on a hidden scale invariance. In a very generic Wilsonian effective field theory with an arbitrary number of scalar fields, which exhibits scale invariance via the dilaton, the potential necessarily contains a flat direction in the classical limit. This flat direction is lifted by small quantum corrections and inflation is realised without need for an unnatural fine-tuning. In the conformal limit, the effective potential becomes linear in the inflaton field, yielding to specific predictions for the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, being respectively: ns−1≈−0.025(N⋆60−1 and r≈0.0667(N⋆60−1, where N⋆≈30–65 is a number of efolds during observable inflation. This predictions are in reasonable agreement with cosmological measurements. Further improvement of the accuracy of these measurements may turn out to be critical in falsifying our scenario.

Stochastic approaches to inflation model building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez, Erandy; Liddle, Andrew R.

2005-01-01

While inflation gives an appealing explanation of observed cosmological data, there are a wide range of different inflation models, providing differing predictions for the initial perturbations. Typically models are motivated either by fundamental physics considerations or by simplicity. An alternative is to generate large numbers of models via a random generation process, such as the flow equations approach. The flow equations approach is known to predict a definite structure to the observational predictions. In this paper, we first demonstrate a more efficient implementation of the flow equations exploiting an analytic solution found by Liddle (2003). We then consider alternative stochastic methods of generating large numbers of inflation models, with the aim of testing whether the structures generated by the flow equations are robust. We find that while typically there remains some concentration of points in the observable plane under the different methods, there is significant variation in the predictions amongst the methods considered

Signatures of Higgs dilaton and critical Higgs inflation.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Bellido, Juan

2018-03-06

We test the Higgs dilaton inflation model (HDM) using the latest cosmological datasets, including the cosmic microwave background temperature, polarization and lensing data from the Planck satellite (2015), the BICEP and Keck Array experiments, the type Ia supernovae from the JLA catalogue, the baryon acoustic oscillations from CMASS, LOWZ and 6dF, the weak lensing data from the CFHTLenS survey and the matter power spectrum measurements from the latest SDSS data release. We find that the values of all cosmological parameters allowed by the HDM are well within the Planck satellite (2015) constraints. In particular, we determine [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (at 95.5% c.l.). We also place new stringent constraints on the couplings of the HDM, ξ χ Higgs inflation model, taking into account the running of both the self-coupling λ( μ ) and the non-minimal coupling to gravity ξ ( μ ). We find peaks in the curvature power spectrum at scales corresponding to the critical value μ that re-enter during the radiation era and collapse to form a broad distribution of clustered primordial black holes, which could constitute today the main component of dark matter.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Higgs cosmology'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Is cosmology consistent?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaomin; Tegmark, Max; Zaldarriaga, Matias

2002-01-01

We perform a detailed analysis of the latest cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements (including BOOMERaNG, DASI, Maxima and CBI), both alone and jointly with other cosmological data sets involving, e.g., galaxy clustering and the Lyman Alpha Forest. We first address the question of whether the CMB data are internally consistent once calibration and beam uncertainties are taken into account, performing a series of statistical tests. With a few minor caveats, our answer is yes, and we compress all data into a single set of 24 bandpowers with associated covariance matrix and window functions. We then compute joint constraints on the 11 parameters of the 'standard' adiabatic inflationary cosmological model. Our best fit model passes a series of physical consistency checks and agrees with essentially all currently available cosmological data. In addition to sharp constraints on the cosmic matter budget in good agreement with those of the BOOMERaNG, DASI and Maxima teams, we obtain a heaviest neutrino mass range 0.04-4.2 eV and the sharpest constraints to date on gravity waves which (together with preference for a slight red-tilt) favor 'small-field' inflation models

Multi-phase induced inflation in theories with non-minimal coupling to gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Artymowski, Michał [Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Kraków (Poland); Lalak, Zygmunt; Lewicki, Marek, E-mail: Michal.Artymowski@uj.edu.pl, E-mail: Zygmunt.Lalak@fuw.edu.pl, E-mail: Marek.Lewicki@fuw.edu.pl [Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw ul. Hoża 69, 00-681 Warszawa (Poland)

2017-01-01

In this paper we investigate the induced inflation with two flat regions: one Starobinsky-like plateau in strong coupling regime and one shorter plateau around the saddle point of the Einstein frame potential. This multi-phase inflationary scenario can be used to solve problems of classical cosmology as well as the problem of initial conditions for inflation. The inflation at the saddle-point plateau is consistent with the data and can have arbitrarily low scale. The results can be useful in the context of the Higgs-Axion relaxation and in a certain limit they are equivalent to the α-attractors.

Origin of density fluctuations in extended inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.; Salopek, D.S.; Turner, M.S.

1990-01-01

We calculate both the curvature and isocurvature density fluctuations that arise due to quantum fluctuations in a simple model of extended inflation based upon the Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. The curvature fluctuations that arise due to quantum fluctuations in the Brans-Dicke field in general have a non-scale-invariant spectrum and an amplitude that is cosmologically acceptable and interesting without having to tune any coupling constant to a very small value. The curvature perturbations that arise due to the Higgs field are subdominant. If there are other massless fields in the theory, e.g., an axion or an ilion, then isocurvature fluctuations arise in these fields too. Production of gravitational waves and the massless particles associated with excitations of the Brans-Dicke field are also discussed. Several attempts at more realistic models of extended inflation are also analyzed. The importance of the Einstein conformal frame in calculating curvature fluctuations is emphasized. When viewed in this frame, extended inflation closely resembles slow-rollover inflation with an exponential potential, and the usual formula for the amplitude of curvature perturbations applies directly

A Jacobian elliptic single-field inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Villanueva, J.R. [Universidad de Valparaiso, Instituto de Fisica y Astronomia, Valparaiso (Chile); Centro de Astrofisica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso (Chile); Gallo, Emanuel [FaMAF, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Cordoba (Argentina); Instituto de Fisica Enrique Gaviola (IFEG), CONICET, Cordoba (Argentina)

2015-06-15

In the scenario of single-field inflation, this field is described in terms of Jacobian elliptic functions. This approach provides, when constrained to particular cases, analytic solutions already known in the past, generalizing them to a bigger family of analytical solutions. The emergent cosmology is analyzed using the Hamilton-Jacobi approach and then the main results are contrasted with the recent measurements obtained from the Planck 2015 data. (orig.)

The Primordial Inflation Explorer

Science.gov (United States)

Kogut, Alan J.

2012-01-01

The Primordial Inflation Explorer is an Explorer-class mission to measure the gravity-wave signature of primordial inflation through its distinctive imprint on the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background. PIXIE uses an innovative optical design to achieve background-limited sensitivity in 400 spectral channels spanning 2.5 decades in frequency from 30 GHz to 6 THz (1 cm to 50 micron wavelength). The principal science goal is the detection and characterization of linear polarization from an inflationary epoch in the early universe, with tensor-to-scalar ratio r < 10(exp -3) at 5 standard deviations. The rich PIXIE data set will also constrain physical processes ranging from Big Bang cosmology to the nature of the first stars to physical conditions within the interstellar medium of the Galaxy. I describe the PIXIE instrument and mission architecture needed to detect the inflationary signature using only 4 semiconductor bolometers.

Composite inflation from super Yang-Mills theory, orientifold, and one-flavor QCD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Channuie, P.; Jorgensen, J. J.; Sannino, F.

2012-01-01

Recent investigations have shown that inflation can be driven by four-dimensional strongly interacting theories nonminimally coupled to gravity. We explore this paradigm further by considering composite inflation driven by orientifold field theories. The advantage of using these theories resides ...... nonminimally coupled QCD theory of inflation. The scale of composite inflation, for all the models presented here, is of the order of 10(16) GeV. Unitarity studies of the inflaton scattering suggest that the cutoff of the model is at the Planck scale. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.86.125035...

Can inflation solve the hierarchy problem?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Tirthabir; Notari, Alessio

2006-01-01

Inflation with tunneling from a false to a true vacuum becomes viable in the presence of a scalar field that slows down the initial de Sitter phase. As a by-product this field also sets dynamically the value of M Planck observed today. This can be very large if the tunneling rate (which is exponentially sensitive to the barrier) is small enough. Therefore along with inflation we also provide a natural dynamical explanation for why gravity is so weak today. Moreover we predict a spectrum of gravity waves peaked at around 0.1 mHz, that will be detectable by the planned space interferometer LISA. Finally we discuss interesting predictions on cosmological scalar and tensor fluctuations in light of the WMAP 3-year data

New perspectives on constant-roll inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Cicciarella, Francesco; Mabillard, Joel; Pieroni, Mauro

2018-01-01

We study constant-roll inflation using the β-function formalism. We show that the constant rate of the inflaton roll is translated into a first order differential equation for the β-function which can be solved easily. The solutions to this equation correspond to the usual constant-roll models. We then construct, by perturbing these exact solutions, more general classes of models that satisfy the constant-roll equation asymptotically. In the case of an asymptotic power law solution, these corrections naturally provide an end to the inflationary phase. Interestingly, while from a theoretical point of view (in particular in terms of the holographic interpretation) these models are intrinsically different from standard slow-roll inflation, they may have phenomenological predictions in good agreement with present cosmological data.

Metastable electroweak vacuum. Implications for inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, Oleg; Westphal, Alexander

2012-10-01

Within the Standard Model, the current Higgs and top quark data favor metastability of the electroweak vacuum, although the uncertainties are still significant. The true vacuum is many orders of magnitude deeper than ours and the barrier separating the two is tiny compared to the depth of the well. This raises a cosmological question: how did the Higgs field get trapped in the shallow minimum and why did it stay there during inflation? The Higgs initial conditions before inflation must be fine-tuned to about one part in 10 8 in order for the Higgs field to end up in the right vacuum. In this note, we show that these problems can be resolved if there is a small positive coupling between the Higgs and the inflaton.

Thermodynamics of de Sitter black holes: Thermal cosmological constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekiwa, Y.

2006-01-01

We study the thermodynamic properties associated with the black hole event horizon and the cosmological horizon for black hole solutions in asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes. We examine thermodynamics of these horizons on the basis of the conserved charges according to Teitelboim's method. In particular, we have succeeded in deriving the generalized Smarr formula among thermodynamical quantities in a simple and natural way. We then show that cosmological constant must decrease when one takes into account the quantum effect. These observations have been obtained if and only if the cosmological constant plays the role of a thermodynamical state variable. We also touch upon the relation between inflation of our universe and a phase transition of black holes

Warm inflation with an oscillatory inflaton in the non-minimal kinetic coupling model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goodarzi, Parviz [University of Ayatollah Ozma Borujerdi, Department of Science, Boroujerd (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sadjadi, H.M. [University of Tehran, Department of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-07-15

In the cold inflation scenario, the slow roll inflation and reheating via coherent rapid oscillation, are usually considered as two distinct eras. When the slow roll ends, a rapid oscillation phase begins and the inflaton decays to relativistic particles reheating the Universe. In another model dubbed warm inflation, the rapid oscillation phase is suppressed, and we are left with only a slow roll period during which the reheating occurs. Instead, in this paper, we propose a new picture for inflation in which the slow roll era is suppressed and only the rapid oscillation phase exists. Radiation generation during this era is taken into account, so we have warm inflation with an oscillatory inflaton. To provide enough e-folds, we employ the non-minimal derivative coupling model. We study the cosmological perturbations and compute the temperature at the end of warm oscillatory inflation. (orig.)

Warm inflation with an oscillatory inflaton in the non-minimal kinetic coupling model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodarzi, Parviz; Sadjadi, H.M.

2017-01-01

In the cold inflation scenario, the slow roll inflation and reheating via coherent rapid oscillation, are usually considered as two distinct eras. When the slow roll ends, a rapid oscillation phase begins and the inflaton decays to relativistic particles reheating the Universe. In another model dubbed warm inflation, the rapid oscillation phase is suppressed, and we are left with only a slow roll period during which the reheating occurs. Instead, in this paper, we propose a new picture for inflation in which the slow roll era is suppressed and only the rapid oscillation phase exists. Radiation generation during this era is taken into account, so we have warm inflation with an oscillatory inflaton. To provide enough e-folds, we employ the non-minimal derivative coupling model. We study the cosmological perturbations and compute the temperature at the end of warm oscillatory inflation. (orig.)

Cosmological constant in the quantum multiverse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, Grant; Nomura, Yasunori; Roberts, Hannes L. L.

2011-01-01

Recently, a new framework for describing the multiverse has been proposed which is based on the principles of quantum mechanics. The framework allows for well-defined predictions, both regarding global properties of the universe and outcomes of particular experiments, according to a single probability formula. This provides complete unification of the eternally inflating multiverse and many worlds in quantum mechanics. In this paper, we elucidate how cosmological parameters can be calculated in this framework, and study the probability distribution for the value of the cosmological constant. We consider both positive and negative values, and find that the observed value is consistent with the calculated distribution at an order of magnitude level. In particular, in contrast to the case of earlier measure proposals, our framework prefers a positive cosmological constant over a negative one. These results depend only moderately on how we model galaxy formation and life evolution therein.

Inflationary cosmology from quantum conformal gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jizba, Petr; Kleinert, Hagen; Scardigli, Fabio

2015-01-01

We analyze the functional integral for quantum conformal gravity and show that, with the help of a Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation, the action can be broken into a local quadratic-curvature theory coupled to a scalar field. A one-loop effective-action calculation reveals that strong fluctuations of the metric field are capable of spontaneously generating a dimensionally transmuted parameter which, in the weak-field sector of the broken phase, induces a Starobinsky-type f(R)-model with a gravi-cosmological constant. A resulting non-trivial relation between Starobinsky's parameter and the gravi-cosmological constant is highlighted and implications for cosmic inflation are briefly discussed and compared with the recent PLANCK and BICEP2 data. (orig.)

Macroeconomic variables and food price inflation, nonfood price inflation and overall inflation: A case of an emerging market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael T Mpofu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses the association between certain macroeconomic variables and food price inflation, non-food price inflation and overall inflation in Zimbabwe, and also seeks to determine the level of association between these variables, given food security implications and overall well-being of its citizens. The study reveals that during the 2010 to 2016 period, Zimbabwe experienced stable food prices—annual food price inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages averaged a relatively low growth rate of 0.12% monthly, while non-food inflation monthly growth rate was 0.09% and overall inflation growth rate was 0.11%. Although inflation from 2010 had been declining, of late, the increase in annual inflation has been underpinned by a rise in non-food inflation. Zimbabwe’s annual inflation remains lower than inflation rates in other countries in the region. Despite the increases lately in overall inflation, it remained below zero in January 2016, mostly driven by the depreciation of the South African rand and declining international oil prices. It should also be noted that domestic demand continued to decline in 2015, leading to the observed decline in both food and non-food prices. While food inflation has remained relatively low, it should be noted that non-food expenditures is significant component of the household budget and the rising prices result often lead to declining purchasing power and force households to make difficult choices in terms of their purchases. The findings of the study are food inflation has a low association with the independent variables under study; Zimbabwe broad money supply, rand-dollar exchange rates and the South Africa food inflation. There is, however, a very strong association between non-food inflation and these independent variables, as well as between overall inflation and the independent variables. Given the mostly rural population and the high level of unemployment in Zimbabwe, it can be surmised that

Punctuated eternal inflation via AdS/CFT duality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, David A.; Roy, Shubho

2010-01-01

The work is an attempt to model a scenario of inflation in the framework of anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory duality, a potentially complete nonperturbative description of quantum gravity. We study bubble geometries with de Sitter interiors within an ambient Schwarzschild anti-de Sitter black hole spacetime and the properties of the corresponding states in the dual conformal field theory. It is argued the viable bubble states can be identified with a subset of the black hole microstates. Consistency checks are performed and a number of implications regarding cosmology are discussed including how the key problems or paradoxes of conventional eternal inflation are overcome in this scenario.

Inflation and late-time acceleration in braneworld cosmological models with varying brane tension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, K.C.; Cheng, K.S.; Harko, T.

2010-01-01

Braneworld models with variable brane tension λ introduce a new degree of freedom that allows for evolving gravitational and cosmological constants, the latter being a natural candidate for dark energy. We consider a thermodynamic interpretation of the varying brane tension models, by showing that the field equations with variable λ can be interpreted as describing matter creation in a cosmological framework. The particle creation rate is determined by the variation rate of the brane tension, as well as by the brane-bulk energy-matter transfer rate. We investigate the effect of a variable brane tension on the cosmological evolution of the Universe, in the framework of a particular model in which the brane tension is an exponentially dependent function of the scale factor. The resulting cosmology shows the presence of an initial inflationary expansion, followed by a decelerating phase, and by a smooth transition towards a late accelerated de Sitter type expansion. The varying brane tension is also responsible for the generation of the matter in the Universe (reheating period). The physical constraints on the model parameters, resulting from the observational cosmological data, are also investigated. (orig.)

Towards a superstring cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.G.

1987-01-01

If superstring theory is a theory of everything then it must give a satisfactory description of the very early evolution of the universe. Since the very early universe is not directly observable, then by satisfactory it is mean that the later evolution following the earlier (pre-Planck time era) phase leads to agreement with prediction for the various observable phenomena such as (B-bar B), inflation, galaxy structure, the cosmological constant (infimum), etc. Moreover it is to be hoped that the initial singularity of classical general relativistic cosmology is also avoided. It is clear that superstring theory is not yet able to tackle these problems. This paper describes what has been done so far to construct very simplified versions of string theory relevant to the early universe, and discusses the critical questions still to be answered

Inhomogeneous inflation: The initial-value problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laguna, P.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Matzner, R.A.

1991-01-01

We present a spatially three-dimensional study for solving the initial-value problem in general relativity for inhomogeneous cosmologies. We use York's conformal approach to solve the constraint equations of Einstein's field equations for scalar field sources and find the initial data which will be used in the evolution. This work constitutes the first stage in the development of a code to analyze the effects of matter and spacetime inhomogeneities on inflation

Spotted inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Tomohiro

2010-01-01

We describe new scenarios for generating curvature perturbations when inflaton (curvaton) has significant interactions. We consider a ''spot'', which arises from interactions associated with an enhanced symmetric point (ESP) on the trajectory. Our first example uses the spot to induce a gap in the field equation. We observe that the gap in the field equation may cause generation of curvature perturbation if it does not appear simultaneous in space. The mechanism is similar to the scenario of inhomogeneous phase transition. Then we observe that the spot interactions may initiate warm inflation in the cold Universe. Creation of cosmological perturbation is discussed in relation to the inflaton dynamics and the modulation associated with the spot interactions

Signals of inflation in a friendly string landscape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

March-Russell, John; Riva, Francesco

2006-01-01

Following Freivogel et al we consider inflation in a predictive (or 'friendly') region of the landscape of string vacua, as modeled by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos and Kachru. In such a region the dimensionful coefficients of super-renormalizable operators unprotected by symmetries, such as the vacuum energy and scalar mass-squareds are freely scanned over, and the objects of study are anthropically or 'environmentally' conditioned probability distributions for observables. In this context we study the statistical predictions of (inverted) hybrid inflation models, where the properties of the inflaton are probabilistically distributed. We derive the resulting distributions of observables, including the deviation from flatness 1-Ω, the spectral index of scalar cosmological perturbations n s (and its scale dependence dn s /dlog k), and the ratio of tensor to scalar perturbations r. The environmental bound on the curvature implies a solution to the η-problem of inflation with the predicted distribution of (1-n s ) indicating values close to current observations. We find a relatively low probability (< 3%) of 'just-so' inflation with measurable deviations from flatness. Intermediate scales of inflation are preferred in these models

Unemployment and inflation dynamics prior to the economic downturn of 2007-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Guastello, Stephen J; Myers, Adam

2009-10-01

This article revisits a long-standing theoretical issue as to whether a "natural rate" of unemployment exists in the sense of an exogenously driven fixed-point Walrasian equilibrium or attractor, or whether more complex dynamics such as hysteresis or chaos characterize an endogenous dynamical process instead. The same questions are posed regarding a possible natural rate of inflation along with an investigation of the actual relationship between inflation and unemployment for which extent theories differ. Time series of unemployment and inflation for US data - were analyzed using the exponential model series and nonlinear regression for capturing Lyapunov exponents and transfer effects from other variables. The best explanation for unemployment was that it is a chaotic variable that is driven in part by inflation. The best explanation for inflation is that it is also a chaotic variable driven in part by unemployment and the prices of treasury bills. Estimates of attractors' epicenters were calculated in lieu of classical natural rates.

Cosmology with MATLAB

CERN Document Server

Green, Dan

2016-01-01

This volume makes explicit use of the synergy between cosmology and high energy physics, for example, supersymmetry and dark matter, or nucleosynthesis and the baryon-to-photon ratio. In particular the exciting possible connection between the recently discovered Higgs scalar and the scalar field responsible for inflation is explored.The recent great advances in the accuracy of the basic cosmological parameters is exploited in that no free scale parameters such as h appear, rather the basic calculations are done numerically using all sources of energy density simultaneously. Scripts are provided that allow the reader to calculate exact results for the basic parameters. Throughout MATLAB tools such as symbolic math, numerical solutions, plots and 'movies' of the dynamical evolution of systems are used. The GUI package is also shown as an example of the real time manipulation of parameters which is available to the reader.All the MATLAB scripts are made available to the reader to explore examples of the uses of ...

Study of Tachyon Warm Intermediate and Logamediate Inflationary Universe from Loop Quantum Cosmological Perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, Jyotirmay Das; Debnath, Ujjal

2016-01-01

We have studied the tachyon intermediate and logamediate warm inflation in loop quantum cosmological background by taking the dissipative co-efficient Γ = Γ 0 (where Γ 0 is a constant) in “intermediate” inflation and Γ = V(ϕ), (where V(ϕ) is the potential of tachyonic field) in “logamediate” inflation. We have assumed slow-roll condition to construct scalar field ϕ, potential V, N-folds, etc. Various slow-roll parameters have also been obtained. We have analyzed the stability of this model through graphical representations. (paper)

Arbitrary scalar-field and quintessence cosmological models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harko, Tiberiu; Lobo, Francisco S.N.; Mak, M.K.

2014-01-01

The mechanism of the initial inflationary scenario of the Universe and of its late-time acceleration can be described by assuming the existence of some gravitationally coupled scalar fields φ, with the inflaton field generating inflation and the quintessence field being responsible for the late accelerated expansion. Various inflationary and late-time accelerated scenarios are distinguished by the choice of an effective self-interaction potential V(φ), which simulates a temporarily non-vanishing cosmological term. In this work, we present a new formalism for the analysis of scalar fields in flat isotropic and homogeneous cosmological models. The basic evolution equation of the models can be reduced to a first-order non-linear differential equation. Approximate solutions of this equation can be constructed in the limiting cases of the scalar-field kinetic energy and potential energy dominance, respectively, as well as in the intermediate regime. Moreover, we present several new accelerating and decelerating exact cosmological solutions, based on the exact integration of the basic evolution equation for scalar-field cosmologies. More specifically, exact solutions are obtained for exponential, generalized cosine hyperbolic, and power-law potentials, respectively. Cosmological models with power-law scalar field potentials are also analyzed in detail. (orig.)

The study of lossy compressive method with different interpolation for holographic reconstruction in optical scanning holography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HU Zhijuan

2015-08-01

Full Text Available We study the cosmological inflation models driven by the rolling tachyon field which has a Born-Infeld-type action.We drive the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the cosmological dynamics of tachyon inflation and the mode equations for the scalar and tensor perturbations of tachyon field and spacetime, then a solution under the slow-roll condition is given. In the end,a realistic model from string theory is discussed.

Dissipative Axial Inflation

CERN Document Server

Notari, Alessio

2016-12-22

We analyze in detail the background cosmological evolution of a scalar field coupled to a massless abelian gauge field through an axial term $\\frac{\\phi}{f_\\gamma} F \\tilde{F}$, such as in the case of an axion. Gauge fields in this case are known to experience tachyonic growth and therefore can backreact on the background as an effective dissipation into radiation energy density $\\rho_R$, which which can lead to inflation without the need of a flat potential. We analyze the system, for momenta $k$ smaller than the cutoff $f_\\gamma$, including numerically the backreaction. We consider the evolution from a given static initial condition and explicitly show that, if $f_\\gamma$ is smaller than the field excursion $\\phi_0$ by about a factor of at least ${\\cal O} (20)$, there is a friction effect which turns on before that the field can fall down and which can then lead to a very long stage of inflation with a generic potential. In addition we find superimposed oscillations, which would get imprinted on any kind of...

Metastable electroweak vacuum. Implications for inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebedev, Oleg; Westphal, Alexander [DESY Theory Group, Hamburg (Germany)

2012-10-15

Within the Standard Model, the current Higgs and top quark data favor metastability of the electroweak vacuum, although the uncertainties are still significant. The true vacuum is many orders of magnitude deeper than ours and the barrier separating the two is tiny compared to the depth of the well. This raises a cosmological question: how did the Higgs field get trapped in the shallow minimum and why did it stay there during inflation? The Higgs initial conditions before inflation must be fine-tuned to about one part in 10{sup 8} in order for the Higgs field to end up in the right vacuum. In this note, we show that these problems can be resolved if there is a small positive coupling between the Higgs and the inflaton.

Academic Training: Cosmology for particle physicists

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2005-01-01

2004-2005 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 May from 11.00 to 12.00 hrs - Main Auditorium, bldg. 500 on 9, 10, 12 and 13 May, Council Chamber, bldg. 503, on 11 May Cosmology for particle physicists S. CARROLL / Enrico Fermi Institute, Univ. of Chicago, USA The past few years have seen dramatic breakthroughs and spectacular and puzzling discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology. We know much about the universe, but understand very little. Open questions include the nature of the dark matter and dark energy, the origin of the matter/antimatter asymmetry, the possibility of inflation, and the role of string theory and extra dimensions in the early universe. All of these issues impact strongly on, and will be heavily influenced by, upcoming experiments in particle physics. I will give an overview of current questions at the overlap of cosmology and particle physics, and discuss some theoretical and experimental questions likely to be important in the near future. ENSEIG...

Academic Training: Cosmology for particle physicists

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2005-01-01

2004-2005 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMMELECTURE SERIES9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 Mayfrom 11.00 to 12.00 hrs - Main Auditorium, bldg. 500 on 9, 10, 12 and 13 May, Council Chamber, bldg. 503, on 11 MayCosmology for particle physicistsS. CARROLL / Enrico Fermi Institute, Univ. of Chicago, USAThe past few years have seen dramatic breakthroughs and spectacular and puzzling discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology. We know much about the universe, but understand very little. Open questions include the nature of the dark matter and dark energy, the origin of the matter/antimatter asymmetry, the possibility of inflation, and the role of string theory and extra dimensions in the early universe. All of these issues impact strongly on, and will be heavily influenced by, upcoming experiments in particle physics. I will give an overview of current questions at the overlap of cosmology and particle physics, and discuss some theoretical and experimental questions likely to be important in the near future.ENSEIGNEMENT ACADEMIQUEAC...

Academic Training: Cosmology for particle physicists

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2005-01-01

2004-2005 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 May from 11.00 to 12.00 hrs - Main Auditorium, bldg. 500 on 9, 10, 12 and 13 May, Council Chamber, bldg. 503, on 11 May Cosmology for particle physicists S. CARROLL / Enrico Fermi Institute, Univ. of Chicago, USA The past few years have seen dramatic breakthroughs and spectacular and puzzling discoveries in astrophysics and cosmology. We know much about the universe, but understand very little. Open questions include the nature of the dark matter and dark energy, the origin of the matter/antimatter asymmetry, the possibility of inflation, and the role of string theory and extra dimensions in the early universe. All of these issues impact strongly on, and will be heavily influenced by, upcoming experiments in particle physics. I will give an overview of current questions at the overlap of cosmology and particle physics, and discuss some theoretical and experimental questions likely to be important in the near future. ENSEIGNEME...

Oscillations in the CMB from Axion Monodromy Inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flauger, Raphael; /Texas U.; McAllister, Liam; Pajer, Enrico; /Cornell U., Phys. Dept.; Westphal, Alexander; /SLAC /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Xu, Gang; /Cornell U., Phys. Dept.

2011-12-01

We study the CMB observables in axion monodromy inflation. These well-motivated scenarios for inflation in string theory have monomial potentials over super-Planckian field ranges, with superimposed sinusoidal modulations from instanton effects. Such periodic modulations of the potential can drive resonant enhancements of the correlation functions of cosmological perturbations, with characteristic modulations of the amplitude as a function of wavenumber. We give an analytical result for the scalar power spectrum in this class of models, and we determine the limits that present data places on the amplitude and frequency of modulations. Then, incorporating an improved understanding of the realization of axion monodromy inflation in string theory, we perform a careful study of microphysical constraints in this scenario. We find that detectable modulations of the scalar power spectrum are commonplace in well-controlled examples, while resonant contributions to the bispectrum are undetectable in some classes of examples and detectable in others. We conclude that resonant contributions to the spectrum and bispectrum are a characteristic signature of axion monodromy inflation that, in favorable cases, could be detected in near-future experiments.

Sneutrino warm inflation in the minimal supersymmetric model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastero-Gil, Mar; Berera, Arjun

2005-01-01

The model of RH neutrino fields coupled to the MSSM is shown to yield a large parameter regime of warm inflation. In the strong dissipative regime, it is shown that inflation, driven by a single sneutrino field, occurs with all field amplitudes below the Planck scale. Analysis is also made of leptogenesis, neutrino mass generation and gravitino constraints. A new warm inflation scenario is purposed in which one scalar field drives a period of warm inflation and a second field drives a subsequent phase of reheating. Such a model is able to reduce the final temperature after inflation, thus helping to mitigate gravitino constraints

Constraints on inflation revisited. An analysis including the latest local measurement of the Hubble constant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Rui-Yun [Northeastern University, Department of Physics, College of Sciences, Shenyang (China); Zhang, Xin [Northeastern University, Department of Physics, College of Sciences, Shenyang (China); Peking University, Center for High Energy Physics, Beijing (China)

2017-12-15

We revisit the constraints on inflation models by using the current cosmological observations involving the latest local measurement of the Hubble constant (H{sub 0} = 73.00 ± 1.75 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}). We constrain the primordial power spectra of both scalar and tensor perturbations with the observational data including the Planck 2015 CMB full data, the BICEP2 and Keck Array CMB B-mode data, the BAO data, and the direct measurement of H{sub 0}. In order to relieve the tension between the local determination of the Hubble constant and the other astrophysical observations, we consider the additional parameter N{sub eff} in the cosmological model. We find that, for the ΛCDM+r+N{sub eff} model, the scale invariance is only excluded at the 3.3σ level, and ΔN{sub eff} > 0 is favored at the 1.6σ level. Comparing the obtained 1σ and 2σ contours of (n{sub s},r) with the theoretical predictions of selected inflation models, we find that both the convex and the concave potentials are favored at 2σ level, the natural inflation model is excluded at more than 2σ level, the Starobinsky R{sup 2} inflation model is only favored at around 2σ level, and the spontaneously broken SUSY inflation model is now the most favored model. (orig.)

Wess-Zumino Inflation in Light of Planck

CERN Document Server

Croon, Djuna; Mavromatos, Nick E

2013-01-01

We discuss cosmological inflation in the minimal Wess-Zumino model with a single massive chiral supermultiplet. With suitable parameters and assuming a plausible initial condition at the start of the inflationary epoch, the model can yield scalar perturbations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) of the correct strength with a spectral index n_s ~ 0.96 and a tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r < 0.1, consistent with the Planck CMB data. We also discuss the possibility of topological inflation within the Wess-Zumino model, and the possibility of combining it with a seesaw model for neutrino masses. This would violate R-parity, but at such a low rate that the lightest supersymmetric particle would have a lifetime long enough to constitute the astrophysical cold dark matter.

The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbons, G. W.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Rankin, S. J.

2009-08-01

: 31. Adventures in de Sitter space Raphael Bousso; 32. de Sitter space in non-critical string theory Andrew Strominger; 33. Supergravity, M theory and cosmology Renata Kallosh; Part VIII. Quantum Cosmology: 34. The state of the universe James B. Hartle; 35. Quantum cosmology Don Page; 36. Quantum cosmology and eternal inflation A. Vilenkin; 37. Probability in the deterministic theory known as quantum mechanics Bryce de Witt; 38. The interpretation of quantum cosmology and the problem of time J. Halliwell; 39. What local supersymmetry can do for quantum cosmology Peter D'Eath; Part IX. Cosmology: 40. Inflation and cosmological perturbations Alan Guth; 41. The future of cosmology: observational and computational prospects Paul Shellard; 42. The ekpyrotic universe and its cyclic extension Neil Turok; 43. Inflationary theory versus the ekpyrotic/cyclic scenario Andrei Linde; 44. Brane (new) worlds Pierre Binetruy; 45. Publications of Stephen Hawking; Index.

What could we learn about high energy particle physics from cosmological observations at largest spatial scales ?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorbunov Dmitry

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The very well known example of cosmology testing particle physics is the number of relativistic particles (photons and three active neutrinos within the Standard Model at primordial nucleosynthesis. These days the earliest moment we can hope to probe with present cosmological data is the early time inflation. The particle physics conditions there and now are different because of different energy scales and different values of the scalar fields, that usually prohibits a reliable connection between the particle physics parameters at the two interesting epochs. The physics at the highest energy scales may be probed with observations at the largest spatial scales (just somewhat smaller than the size of the visible Universe. However, we are not (yet ready to make the tests realistic, because of lack of a self-consistent theoretical description of the presently favorite cosmological models to be valid right after inflation.

de Broglie-Bohm FRW universes in quantum string cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marto, J.; Moniz, P. Vargas

2002-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to establish possible implications of the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics towards superstring cosmological dynamics. In this context, we investigate spatially flat FRW models retrieved from scalar-tensor theories of gravity with a cosmological constant present in the gravitational sector. These models are further characterized by the presence of different types of de Broglie-Bohm quantum potential terms. These are constructed from various classes of wave packets formed by superpositions of Bessel functions of different imaginary orders. As far as pre-big-bang scenarios are concerned, we find that quantum potentials yield varied types of an amplified influence of the singular classical boundary into the FRW early dynamics. Some consequences of the de Broglie-Bohm program towards pre-big-bang inflation and the graceful exit problem are then discussed. Other cosmological scenarios are also studied by means of modulation effects extracted from additional wave packets. We subsequently obtain a broader set of new solutions. Among the new solutions we find that they could still be related by duality properties, although a separation into pre- and post-big-bang classes is less clear. Some solutions show a cyclical behavior. Inflationary solutions can be identified and some of their dynamical features are subsequently analyzed. In particular, we discuss some of the differences between string inspired inflationary cosmologies with quantum potentials. The results suggest that de Broglie-Bohm quantum gravitational terms slow down inflation, constituting an effect similar to others previously described in the literature

Quintessential inflation from a variable cosmological constant in a 5D vacuum

OpenAIRE

Membiela, Agustin; Bellini, Mauricio

2006-01-01

We explore an effective 4D cosmological model for the universe where the variable cosmological constant governs its evolution and the pressure remains negative along all the expansion. This model is introduced from a 5D vacuum state where the (space-like) extra coordinate is considered as noncompact. The expansion is produced by the inflaton field, which is considered as nonminimally coupled to gravity. We conclude from experiental data that the coupling of the inflaton with gravity should be...

Inflation with non-minimal coupling. Metric vs. Palatini formulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, F.; Demir, D.A.; Izmir Institute of Technology

2008-03-01

We analyze non-minimally coupled scalar field theories in metric (second-order) and Palatini (first-order) formalisms in a comparative fashion. After contrasting them in a general setup, we specialize to inflation and find that the two formalisms differ in their predictions for various cosmological parameters. The main reason is that dependencies on the non-minimal coupling parameter are different in the two formalisms. For successful inflation, the Palatini approach prefers a much larger value for the non-minimal coupling parameter than the Metric approach. Unlike the Metric formalism, in Palatini, the inflaton stays well below the Planck scale whereby providing a natural inflationary epoch. (orig.)

Dynamics of cosmological perturbations and reheating in the anamorphic universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graef, L.L.; Ferreira, Elisa G.M.; Brandenberger, Robert [Physics Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T8 (Canada); Hipólito-Ricaldi, W.S., E-mail: leilagraef@on.br, E-mail: wiliam.ricaldi@ufes.br, E-mail: elisa.ferreira@mail.mcgill.ca, E-mail: rhb@physics.mcgill.ca [Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Rodovia BR 101 Norte, km. 60, São Mateus, ES (Brazil)

2017-04-01

We discuss scalar-tensor realizations of the Anamorphic cosmological scenario recently proposed by Ijjas and Steinhardt [1]. Through an analysis of the dynamics of cosmological perturbations we obtain constraints on the parameters of the model. We also study gravitational Parker particle production in the contracting Anamorphic phase and we compute the fraction between the energy density of created particles at the end of the phase and the background energy density. We find that, as in the case of inflation, a new mechanism is required to reheat the universe.

Effect of viscous pressure on warm inflation driven by motion of D3 branes in the background of D5 branes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshamukhya, Atri

2014-01-01

From a thermodynamic viewpoint, there are two dynamical realizations of inflation. In the standard inflation scenario known as super-cooled inflation, radiation is red-shifted during expansion and a vacuum dominated universe is the result of this exponential expansion. A subsequent reheating mechanism is therefore needed to come back to, the radiation dominated era. Warm inflation, the other thermodynamic alternative, presents the attractive feature that it avoids the reheating period. In these kind of models dissipative effects are important during the inflationary period, so that radiation production occurs concurrently together with the inflationary expansion. In warm inflation models in general, inflation decay products are considered as massless particles (or radiation). Existence of massive particles in the inflationary fluid model may alter the dynamics of the inflationary universe models by modification of the fluid pressure. Decay of the massive particles within the fluid which can be considered as a result of 'bulk viscous pressure' is an entropy-producing scalar phenomenon. This bulk viscous pressure term can be written as Π = -3ζH, where H is Hubble parameter and ζ is coefficient of bulk viscosity. Second law of thermodynamics demands this co-efficient to be positive and it in general depends on the energy density of the fluid. Inflationary scenario driven by the radiation field of separation between a D3 and a stake of D5 branes in presence of thermal bath has been studied. We wish to see the effect of inclusion of such a viscous pressure term in equation of motion of the inflation of the perturbative spectrum in this piece of work. (author)

Primordial large-scale electromagnetic fields from gravitoelectromagnetic inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Membiela, Federico Agustín; Bellini, Mauricio

2009-04-01

We investigate the origin and evolution of primordial electric and magnetic fields in the early universe, when the expansion is governed by a cosmological constant Λ0. Using the gravitoelectromagnetic inflationary formalism with A0 = 0, we obtain the power of spectrums for large-scale magnetic fields and the inflaton field fluctuations during inflation. A very important fact is that our formalism is naturally non-conformally invariant.

Primordial large-scale electromagnetic fields from gravitoelectromagnetic inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Membiela, Federico Agustin; Bellini, Mauricio

2009-01-01

We investigate the origin and evolution of primordial electric and magnetic fields in the early universe, when the expansion is governed by a cosmological constant Λ 0 . Using the gravitoelectromagnetic inflationary formalism with A 0 =0, we obtain the power of spectrums for large-scale magnetic fields and the inflaton field fluctuations during inflation. A very important fact is that our formalism is naturally non-conformally invariant.

Assumptions of the primordial spectrum and cosmological parameter estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafieloo, Arman; Souradeep, Tarun

2011-01-01

The observables of the perturbed universe, cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy and large structures depend on a set of cosmological parameters, as well as the assumed nature of primordial perturbations. In particular, the shape of the primordial power spectrum (PPS) is, at best, a well-motivated assumption. It is known that the assumed functional form of the PPS in cosmological parameter estimation can affect the best-fit-parameters and their relative confidence limits. In this paper, we demonstrate that a specific assumed form actually drives the best-fit parameters into distinct basins of likelihood in the space of cosmological parameters where the likelihood resists improvement via modifications to the PPS. The regions where considerably better likelihoods are obtained allowing free-form PPS lie outside these basins. In the absence of a preferred model of inflation, this raises a concern that current cosmological parameter estimates are strongly prejudiced by the assumed form of PPS. Our results strongly motivate approaches toward simultaneous estimation of the cosmological parameters and the shape of the primordial spectrum from upcoming cosmological data. It is equally important for theorists to keep an open mind towards early universe scenarios that produce features in the PPS. (paper)

Deviation from Standard Inflationary Cosmology and the Problems in Ekpyrosis

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Chien-Yao

There are two competing models of our universe right now. One is Big Bang with inflation cosmology. The other is the cyclic model with ekpyrotic phase in each cycle. This paper is divided into two main parts according to these two models. In the first part, we quantify the potentially observable effects of a small violation of translational invariance during inflation, as characterized by the presence of a preferred point, line, or plane. We explore the imprint such a violation would leave on the cosmic microwave background anisotropy, and provide explicit formulas for the expected amplitudes ( alma*l'm') of the spherical-harmonic coefficients. We then provide a model and study the two-point correlation of a massless scalar (the inflaton) when the stress tensor contains the energy density from an infinitely long straight cosmic string in addition to a cosmological constant. Finally, we discuss if inflation can reconcile with the Liouville's theorem as far as the fine-tuning problem is concerned. In the second part, we find several problems in the cyclic/ekpyrotic cosmology. First of all, quantum to classical transition would not happen during an ekpyrotic phase even for superhorizon modes, and therefore the fluctuations cannot be interpreted as classical. This implies the prediction of scale-free power spectrum in ekpyrotic/cyclic universe model requires more inspection. Secondly, we find that the usual mechanism to solve fine-tuning problems is not compatible with eternal universe which contains infinitely many cycles in both direction of time. Therefore, all fine-tuning problems including the flatness problem still asks for an explanation in any generic cyclic models.

Quantum creation of topological defects during inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, R.; Guth, A.H.; Vilenkin, A.

1991-01-01

Circular loops of string and spherical domain-wall bubbles of radius equal to the horizon can spontaneously nucleate in de Sitter space. These objects are expanded by the subsequent inflation, and by the end of the inflationary era they have a spectrum of sizes extending well beyond the present Hubble length. Monopole-antimonopole pairs with an initial separation equal to the horizon can also be produced. The cosmological implications of these effects are briefly discussed

Cosmological aspects of superstring models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binetruy, P.

1986-10-01

I consider more specifically the cosmological aspects of supersymmetry breaking in ''superstring models'' (grand unified models which are believed to describe the effective theory obtained by compactification of superstring theories). The most interesting aspects are related to the presence of flat directions in the scalar potential (vacuum degeneracies). These flat directions are discussed both in the hidden sector of these models (do they give rise to inflation) and in the observable sector of quarks, leptons and Higgs particles, in connection with baryogenesis

Particle physics and cosmology. Progress report, September 1, 1982-August 31, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.; Turner, M.S.

1983-05-01

Brief summaries are presented of research done in the following areas: constraints on particle properties; Big Bang nucleosynthesis; baryogenesis; phase transitions in the early universe; galaxy formation; magnetic monopoles; exotic dark matter; cosmological inflation; and ultra-high energy cosmic rays

On the Occurrence of Mass Inflation for the Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar Field System with a Cosmological Constant and an Exponential Price Law

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, João L.; Girão, Pedro M.; Natário, José; Silva, Jorge Drumond

2018-03-01

In this paper we study the spherically symmetric characteristic initial data problem for the Einstein-Maxwell-scalar field system with a positive cosmological constant in the interior of a black hole, assuming an exponential Price law along the event horizon. More precisely, we construct open sets of characteristic data which, on the outgoing initial null hypersurface (taken to be the event horizon), converges exponentially to a reference Reissner-Nördstrom black hole at infinity. We prove the stability of the radius function at the Cauchy horizon, and show that, depending on the decay rate of the initial data, mass inflation may or may not occur. In the latter case, we find that the solution can be extended across the Cauchy horizon with continuous metric and Christoffel symbols in {L^2_{loc}} , thus violating the Christodoulou-Chruściel version of strong cosmic censorship.

Inflation Basics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, Dan [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

2014-03-01

The last few years have yielded remarkable discoveries in physics. In particle physics it appears that a fundamental scalar field exists. The Higgs boson is measured to have a mass of about 126 GeV and to have spin zero and positive parity. The Higgs field is the first fundamental scalar to be discovered in physics. The Cosmic Microwave Background, CMB, is known to have a uniform temperature to parts per 10⁵, but has well measured fluctuations, which are thought to evolve gravitationally to provide the seeds of the current structure of the Universe. In addition, the Universe appears to contain, at present, an unknown “dark energy”, which is presently the majority energy density of the Universe, larger than either matter or radiation. This may, indeed, be a fundamental scalar field like the Higgs. “Big Bang” (BB) cosmology is a very successful “standard model” in cosmology. However, it cannot explain the uniformity of the CMB because the CMB consists of many regions not causally connected in the context of the BB model. In addition, the Universe appears to be spatially flat. However, in BB cosmology the present spatial curvature is not stable, so that the initial conditions for BB cosmology would need to be fantastically fine-tuned in order to successfully predict the presently small value of the observed curvature. These issues for BB cosmology have led to the hypothesis of “inflation” which postulates an unknown scalar field, not presumably the Higgs field or the dark energy, which causes an exponential expansion of the Universe at very early times. This attractive hypothesis can account for the problems in BB cosmology of flatness and causal CMB connectivity. In addition, the quantum fluctuations of this postulated field provide a natural explanation of the CMB fluctuations which are the seeds of the structure of galaxies. Researchers are now searching for gravitational waves imprinted on the CMB. These would be a “smoking gun” for

Inflation, quintessence, and the origin of mass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Wetterich

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In a unified picture both inflation and present dynamical dark energy arise from the same scalar field. The history of the Universe describes a crossover from a scale invariant “past fixed point” where all particles are massless, to a “future fixed point” for which spontaneous breaking of the exact scale symmetry generates the particle masses. The cosmological solution can be extrapolated to the infinite past in physical time – the universe has no beginning. This is seen most easily in a frame where particle masses and the Planck mass are field-dependent and increase with time. In this “freeze frame” the Universe shrinks and heats up during radiation and matter domination. In the equivalent, but singular Einstein frame cosmic history finds the familiar big bang description. The vicinity of the past fixed point corresponds to inflation. It ends at a first stage of the crossover. A simple model with no more free parameters than ΛCDM predicts for the primordial fluctuations a relation between the tensor amplitude r and the spectral index n,r=8.19(1−n−0.137. The crossover is completed by a second stage where the beyond-standard-model sector undergoes the transition to the future fixed point. The resulting increase of neutrino masses stops a cosmological scaling solution, relating the present dark energy density to the present neutrino mass. At present our simple model seems compatible with all observational tests. We discuss how the fixed points can be rooted within quantum gravity in a crossover between ultraviolet and infrared fixed points. Then quantum properties of gravity could be tested both by very early and late cosmology.

Gauge fields and inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Maleknejad, A.; Sheikh-Jabbari, M. M.; Soda, J.

2013-07-01

The isotropy and homogeneity of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) favors “scalar driven” early Universe inflationary models. However, gauge fields and other non-scalar fields are far more common at all energy scales, in particular at high energies seemingly relevant to inflation models. Hence, in this review we consider the role and consequences, theoretical and observational, that gauge fields can have during the inflationary era. Gauge fields may be turned on in the background during inflation, or may become relevant at the level of cosmic perturbations. There have been two main classes of models with gauge fields in the background, models which show violation of the cosmic no-hair theorem and those which lead to isotropic FLRW cosmology, respecting the cosmic no-hair theorem. Models in which gauge fields are only turned on at the cosmic perturbation level, may source primordial magnetic fields. We also review specific observational features of these models on the CMB and/or the primordial cosmic magnetic fields. Our discussions will be mainly focused on the inflation period, with only a brief discussion on the post inflationary (p)reheating era. Large field models: The initial value of the inflaton field is large, generically super-Planckian, and it rolls slowly down toward the potential minimum at smaller φ values. For instance, chaotic inflation is one of the representative models of this class. The typical potential of large-field models has a monomial form as V(φ)=V0φn. A simple analysis using the dynamical equations reveals that for number of e-folds Ne larger than 60, we require super-Planckian initial field values,5φ0>3M. For these models typically ɛ˜η˜Ne-1. Small field models: Inflaton field is initially small and slowly evolves toward the potential minimum at larger φ values. The small field models are characterized by the following potential V(φ)=V0(1-(), which corresponds to a Taylor expansion about the origin, but more realistic

Signatures of Higgs dilaton and critical Higgs inflation

Science.gov (United States)

García-Bellido, Juan

2018-01-01

We test the Higgs dilaton inflation model (HDM) using the latest cosmological datasets, including the cosmic microwave background temperature, polarization and lensing data from the Planck satellite (2015), the BICEP and Keck Array experiments, the type Ia supernovae from the JLA catalogue, the baryon acoustic oscillations from CMASS, LOWZ and 6dF, the weak lensing data from the CFHTLenS survey and the matter power spectrum measurements from the latest SDSS data release. We find that the values of all cosmological parameters allowed by the HDM are well within the Planck satellite (2015) constraints. In particular, we determine , , , and (at 95.5% c.l.). We also place new stringent constraints on the couplings of the HDM, ξχ (at 95.5% c.l.). We find that the HDM is only slightly better than the w0waCDM model, with . Given that the HDM has two fewer parameters, we find Bayesian evidence favouring the HDM over the w0waCDM model. We also study the critical Higgs inflation model, taking into account the running of both the self-coupling λ(μ) and the non-minimal coupling to gravity ξ(μ). We find peaks in the curvature power spectrum at scales corresponding to the critical value μ that re-enter during the radiation era and collapse to form a broad distribution of clustered primordial black holes, which could constitute today the main component of dark matter. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue `Higgs cosmology'.

Measures, Probability and Holography in Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Daniel

comment on the general implications of this view, and specifically question the application of classical probability theory to cosmology in cases where key questions are known to have no quantum answer. We argue that the ideas developed here may offer a way out of the notorious measure problems of eternal inflation. The fourth project looks at finite universes as alternatives to multiverse theories of cosmology. We compare two holographic arguments that impose especially strong bounds on the amount of inflation. One comes from the de Sitter Equilibrium cosmology and the other from the work of Banks and Fischler. We find that simple versions of these two approaches yield the same bound on the number of e-foldings. A careful examination reveals that while these pictures are similar in spirit, they are not necessarily identical prescriptions. We apply the two pictures to specific cosmologies which expose potentially important differences and which also demonstrate ways these seemingly simple proposals can be tricky to implement in practice.

Quintessence and inflation from the symmetry breaking transition of the internal manifold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Tirthabir; Jaikumar, Prashanth

2004-01-01

We show that even in the simple framework of pure Kaluza-Klein gravity the shape moduli can generate potentials supporting inflation and/or quintessence. Using the shape moduli as the inflaton or quintessence field has the additional benefit of being able to explain symmetry breaking in a natural geometric way. A numerical analysis suggests that in these models it may be possible to obtain sufficient e-foldings during inflation as well as a small cosmological constant at the current epoch (without fine-tuning), while preserving the constraint coming from the fine structure constant

Non equilibrium quantum fields in cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paz, J.P.

1991-01-01

The authors discuss the general framework used to construct a quantum mechanical model of the inflationary phase transition. The emer-gence of classical behavior in the longwavelength modes of the inflation is one of the facts that these models should address. For some toy examples (in which the inflation interacts with an environment consti-tuted by other fields) decoherence is shown of the modes with physical wavelength greater than the horizon. The authors use an approach based on a master equation. They take advantage of the similarities that exist between the master equation for the toy cosmological models and the one for the simple Quantum Brownian Motion. Recent results are discussed obtained for the general QBM problem (in which the environment has a generic spectral density). (author). 10 refs

Quintessential inflation from a variable cosmological constant in a 5D vacuum

Science.gov (United States)

Membiela, Agustin; Bellini, Mauricio

2006-10-01

We explore an effective 4D cosmological model for the universe where the variable cosmological constant governs its evolution and the pressure remains negative along all the expansion. This model is introduced from a 5D vacuum state where the (space-like) extra coordinate is considered as noncompact. The expansion is produced by the inflaton field, which is considered as nonminimally coupled to gravity. We conclude from experimental data that the coupling of the inflaton with gravity should be weak, but variable in different epochs of the evolution of the universe.

Quintessential inflation from a variable cosmological constant in a 5D vacuum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Membiela, Agustin [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata (Argentina)]. E-mail: membiela@argentina.com; Bellini, Mauricio [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata (Argentina) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONICET) (Argentina)]. E-mail: mbellini@mdp.edu.ar

2006-10-05

We explore an effective 4D cosmological model for the universe where the variable cosmological constant governs its evolution and the pressure remains negative along all the expansion. This model is introduced from a 5D vacuum state where the (space-like) extra coordinate is considered as noncompact. The expansion is produced by the inflaton field, which is considered as nonminimally coupled to gravity. We conclude from experimental data that the coupling of the inflaton with gravity should be weak, but variable in different epochs of the evolution of the universe.

Quintessential inflation from a variable cosmological constant in a 5D vacuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Membiela, Agustin; Bellini, Mauricio

2006-01-01

We explore an effective 4D cosmological model for the universe where the variable cosmological constant governs its evolution and the pressure remains negative along all the expansion. This model is introduced from a 5D vacuum state where the (space-like) extra coordinate is considered as noncompact. The expansion is produced by the inflaton field, which is considered as nonminimally coupled to gravity. We conclude from experimental data that the coupling of the inflaton with gravity should be weak, but variable in different epochs of the evolution of the universe

Alan Guth and Andrei Linde win international cosmology award

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

"Leading theoretical cosmologists Alan Guth, Weisskopf Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Andrei Linde, Professor of Physics at Stanford University, who played prominent roles in developing and refining the theory of cosmic inflation, have been selected by an international panel of experts to receive the 2004 Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation" (1 page).

Primordial large-scale electromagnetic fields from gravitoelectromagnetic inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Membiela, Federico Agustin [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, (7600) Mar del Plata (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET) (Argentina)], E-mail: membiela@mdp.edu.ar; Bellini, Mauricio [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, (7600) Mar del Plata (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET) (Argentina)], E-mail: mbellini@mdp.edu.ar

2009-04-20

We investigate the origin and evolution of primordial electric and magnetic fields in the early universe, when the expansion is governed by a cosmological constant {lambda}{sub 0}. Using the gravitoelectromagnetic inflationary formalism with A{sub 0}=0, we obtain the power of spectrums for large-scale magnetic fields and the inflaton field fluctuations during inflation. A very important fact is that our formalism is naturally non-conformally invariant.

The Rise and Fall of the Cosmic String Theory for Cosmological Perturbations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perivolaropoulos, L.

2005-01-01

The cosmic string theory for cosmological fluctuations is a good example of healthy scientific progress in cosmology. It is a well defined physically motivated model that has been tested by cosmological observations and has been ruled out as a primary source of primordial fluctuations. Until about fifteen years ago, the cosmic string theory of cosmological perturbations provided one of the two physically motivated candidate theories for the generation of primordial perturbations. The cosmological data that appeared during the last decade have been compared with the well defined predictions of the theory and have ruled out cosmic strings as a primary source of primordial cosmological perturbations. Since cosmic strings are predicted to form after inflation in a wide range of microphysical theories (including supersymmetric and fundamental string theories) their observational bounds may serve a source of serious constraints for these theories. This is a pedagogical review of the historical development, the main predictions of the cosmic string theory and the constraints that have been imposed on it by cosmological observations. Recent lensing events that could be attributed to lighter cosmic strings are also discussed

Quantum fluctuations in brane-world inflation without an inflaton on the brane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sago, Norichika; Himemoto, Yoshiaki; Sasaki, Misao

2002-01-01

A Randall-Sundrum-type brane-cosmological model in which slow-roll inflation on the brane is driven solely by a bulk scalar field was recently proposed by Himemoto and Sasaki. We analyze their model in detail and calculate the quantum fluctuations of the bulk scalar field φ with m 2 =V '' (φ). We decompose the bulk scalar field into the infinite mass spectrum of four-dimensional fields; the field with the smallest mass square, called the zero mode, and the Kaluza-Klein modes above it with a mass gap. We find the zero-mode dominance of the classical solution holds if vertical bar m 2 vertical bar l-bar 2 2 vertical bar l-bar2>>1, though the violation is very small. Then we evaluate the vacuum expectation value 2 > on the brane. We find the zero-mode contribution completely dominates if vertical bar m 2 vertical barl-bar 2 2 vertical barl-bar 2 is large

Warm inflation in the stochastic inflation formalism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Leandro A. da; Ramos, Rudnei O.

2011-01-01

Full text: The basic assumption of stochastic inflation is the splitting, through the definition of a appropriate window function, of the quantum inflaton field in a long wavelength part (modes outside of the de Sitter horizon) and in a short wavelength (modes inside the de Sitter horizon) part. The inflationary mechanism then continuously shifts more and more modes of the bath field into the system stretching their physical wavelengths beyond the de Sitter horizon size, what generates an effective system-bath interaction. Therefore, the system field develops a stochastic dynamics driven by the bath field, that plays the role of noise source. The resulting equation of motion (EoM) is a Langevin-like equation. Applying this formalism to Warm Inflation scenario (where, alternatively to the cold inflation, we assume that the inflaton evolves in a thermal bath and through a dissipative process continuously generates radiation, thus avoiding the necessity of a reheating mechanism), we contrast the exact numerical solution of thermal power spectrum and two approximations currently used in the literature, and compare this to the quantum power spectrum at horizon crossing. Finally, we consider a more realistic model based on microscopic derivations to estimate the effects of non-Markovianity on the inflaton dynamics and on the thermal power spectrum. (author)

Gravitational waves from inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzzetti, M.C.; Bartolo, N.; Liguori, M.; Matarrese, S.

2016-01-01

The production of a stochastic background of gravitational waves is a fundamental prediction of any cosmological inflationary model. The features of such a signal encode unique information about the physics of the Early Universe and beyond, thus representing an exciting, powerful window on the origin and evolution of the Universe. We review the main mechanisms of gravitational-wave production, ranging from quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field to other mechanisms that can take place during or after inflation. These include e.g. gravitational waves generated as a consequence of extra particle production during inflation, or during the (p)reheating phase. Gravitational waves produced in inflation scenarios based on modified gravity theories and second-order gravitational waves are also considered. For each analyzed case, the expected power spectrum is given. We discuss the discriminating power among different models, associated with the validity/violation of the standard consistency relation between tensor-to-scalar ratio r and tensor spectral index ηT. In light of the prospects for (directly/indirectly) detecting primordial gravitational waves, we give the expected present-day gravitational radiation spectral energy-density, highlighting the main characteristics imprinted by the cosmic thermal history, and we outline the signatures left by gravitational waves on the Cosmic Microwave Background and some imprints in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe. Finally, current bounds and prospects of detection for inflationary gravitational waves are summarized.

Inhomogeneous initial data and small-field inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, M. C. David; Barrow, John D.; Ganguly, Chandrima

2018-05-01

We consider the robustness of small-field inflation in the presence of scalar field inhomogeneities. Previous numerical work has shown that if the scalar potential is flat only over a narrow interval, such as in commonly considered inflection-point models, even small-amplitude inhomogeneities present at the would-be onset of inflation at τ = τi can disrupt the accelerated expansion. In this paper, we parametrise and evolve the inhomogeneities from an earlier time τIC at which the initial data were imprinted, and show that for a broad range of inflationary and pre-inflationary models, inflection-point inflation withstands initial inhomogeneities. We consider three classes of perturbative pre-inflationary solutions (corresponding to energetic domination by the scalar field kinetic term, a relativistic fluid, and isotropic negative curvature), and two classes of exact solutions to Einstein's equations with large inhomogeneities (corresponding to a stiff fluid with cylindrical symmetry, and anisotropic negative curvature). We derive a stability condition that depends on the Hubble scales H(τi) and H(τIC), and a few properties of the pre-inflationary cosmology. For initial data imprinted at the Planck scale, the absence of an inhomogeneous initial data problem for inflection-point inflation leads to a novel, lower limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio.

Comparison of Plasma-Redshift Cosmology and Big-Bang Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Brynjolfsson, Ari

2009-05-01

Plasma redshift is derived theoretically from conventional axioms of physics by using more accurate methods than those conventionally used. The main difference is the proper inclusion of the dielectric constant. The force acting on the electron is proportional to E=D/ɛ and not D as is conventionally surmised. This correction is not important in ordinary laboratory plasmas; but in the hot sparse plasmas of the intergalactic space, it explains the gradual energy loss (the cosmological redshift) of photons. This energy loss of photons is transferred to the plasma and makes it very hot. The plasma redshift explains long range of phenomena, including the intrinsic redshift of Sun, stars, galaxies and quasars, and the cosmological redshift. It explains also the beautiful black body spectrum of the CMB, and it predicts the observed XRB, and much more. There is no need for Big Bang, Inflation, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Black Holes and much more. The universe is quasi-static and can renew itself forever. There is no cosmic time dilation. In intergalactic space the average temperature is 2.7.10^6 K, and the average electron density (Ne)avg= 2 .10-4 cm-3.

Topics in Gravitation and Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami Taghanaki, Sina

This thesis is focused on two topics in which relativistic gravitational fields play an important role, namely early Universe cosmology and black hole physics. The theory of cosmic inflation has emerged as the most successful theory of the very early Universe with concrete and verifiable predictions for the properties of anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background radiation and large scale structure. Coalescences of black hole binaries have recently been detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), opening a new arena for observationally testing the dynamics of gravity. In part I of this thesis we explore some modifications to the standard theory of inflation. The main predictions of single field slow-roll inflation have been largely consistent with cosmological observations. However, there remain some aspects of the theory that are not presently well understood. Among these are the somewhat interrelated issues of the choice of initial state for perturbations and the potential imprints of pre-inflationary dynamics. It is well known that a key prediction of the standard theory of inflation, namely the Gaussianity of perturbations, is a consequence of choosing a natural vacuum initial state. In chapter 3, we study the generation and detectability of non-Gaussianities in inflationary scalar perturbations that originate from more general choices of initial state. After that, in chapter 4, we study a simple but predictive model of pre-inflationary dynamics in an attempt to test the robustness of inflationary predictions. We find that significant deviations from the standard predictions are unlikely to result from models in which the inflaton field decouples from the pre-inflationary degrees of freedom prior to freeze-out of the observable modes. In part II we turn to a study of an aspect of the thermodynamics of black holes, a subject which has led to important advances in our understanding of quantum gravity. For objects which

Superhorizon electromagnetic field background from Higgs loops in inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Ali

2018-03-01

If Higgs is a spectator scalar, i.e. if it is not directly coupled to the inflaton, superhorizon Higgs modes must have been exited during inflation. Since Higgs is unstable its decay into photons is expected to seed superhorizon photon modes. We use in-in perturbation theory to show that this naive physical expectation is indeed fulfilled via loop effects. Specifically, we calculate the first order Higgs loop correction to the magnetic field power spectrum evaluated at some late time after inflation. It turns out that this loop correction becomes much larger than the tree-level power spectrum at the superhorizon scales. This suggests a mechanism to generate cosmologically interesting superhorizon vector modes by scalar-vector interactions.

R2 cosmology: Inflation without a phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mijic, M.B.; Morris, M.S.; Suen, W.

1986-01-01

A pure gravity inflationary model for the Universe is examined which is based on adding an εR 2 term to the usual gravitational Lagrangian. The classical evolution is worked out, including eventual particle production and the subsequent join to radiation-dominated Friedmann behavior. We show that this model gives significant inflation essentially independent of initial conditions. The model has only one free parameter which is bounded from above by observational constraints on scalar and tensorial perturbations and from below by both the need for standard baryogenesis and the need for galaxy formation. This requires 10/sup 11/<ε/sup -1/2/<10/sup 13/ GeV

Unified cosmology with scalar-tensor theory of gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tajahmad, Behzad [Faculty of Physics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sanyal, Abhik Kumar [Jangipur College, Department of Physics, Murshidabad (India)

2017-04-15

Unlike the Noether symmetry, a metric independent general conserved current exists for non-minimally coupled scalar-tensor theory of gravity if the trace of the energy-momentum tensor vanishes. Thus, in the context of cosmology, a symmetry exists both in the early vacuum and radiation dominated era. For slow roll, symmetry is sacrificed, but at the end of early inflation, such a symmetry leads to a Friedmann-like radiation era. Late-time cosmic acceleration in the matter dominated era is realized in the absence of symmetry, in view of the same decayed and redshifted scalar field. Thus, unification of early inflation with late-time cosmic acceleration with a single scalar field may be realized. (orig.)

Unified cosmology with scalar-tensor theory of gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajahmad, Behzad; Sanyal, Abhik Kumar

2017-01-01

Unlike the Noether symmetry, a metric independent general conserved current exists for non-minimally coupled scalar-tensor theory of gravity if the trace of the energy-momentum tensor vanishes. Thus, in the context of cosmology, a symmetry exists both in the early vacuum and radiation dominated era. For slow roll, symmetry is sacrificed, but at the end of early inflation, such a symmetry leads to a Friedmann-like radiation era. Late-time cosmic acceleration in the matter dominated era is realized in the absence of symmetry, in view of the same decayed and redshifted scalar field. Thus, unification of early inflation with late-time cosmic acceleration with a single scalar field may be realized. (orig.)

Brane dynamics in the Randall-Sundrum model, inflation and graceful exit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Somdatta; Choudhury, Debajyoti; Jatkar, Dileep P; Sen, Anjan Ananda

2002-01-01

We study the averaged action of the Randall-Sundrum model with a time-dependent metric ansatz. It can be reformulated in terms of a Brans-Dicke action with time-dependent Newton's constant. We show that the physics of the early universe, particularly inflation, is governed by the Brans-Dicke theory. The Brans-Dicke scalar, however, quickly settles to its equilibrium value and decouples from the post-inflationary cosmology. The deceleration parameter is negative to start with but changes sign before the Brans-Dicke scalar settles to its equilibrium value. Consequently, the brane metric smoothly exits inflation. We have also studied the slow-roll inflation in our model and investigated the spectra of the density perturbation generated by the radion field and find them consistent with the current observations

Inflation targeting and core inflation

OpenAIRE

Julie Smith

2005-01-01

This paper examines the interaction of core inflation and inflation targeting as a monetary policy regime. Interest in core inflation has grown because of inflation targeting. Core inflation is defined in numerous ways giving rise to many potential measures; this paper defines core inflation as the best forecaster of inflation. A cross-country study finds before the start of inflation targeting, but not after, core inflation differs between non-inflation targeters and inflation targeters. Thr...

The Age of Precision Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2012-01-01

In the past two decades, our understanding of the evolution and fate of the universe has increased dramatically. This "Age of Precision Cosmology" has been ushered in by measurements that have both elucidated the details of the Big Bang cosmology and set the direction for future lines of inquiry. Our universe appears to consist of 5% baryonic matter; 23% of the universe's energy content is dark matter which is responsible for the observed structure in the universe; and 72% of the energy density is so-called "dark energy" that is currently accelerating the expansion of the universe. In addition, our universe has been measured to be geometrically flat to 1 %. These observations and related details of the Big Bang paradigm have hinted that the universe underwent an epoch of accelerated expansion known as Uinflation" early in its history. In this talk, I will review the highlights of modern cosmology, focusing on the contributions made by measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang. I will also describe new instruments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in order to search for evidence of cosmic inflation.

Tests of the particle physics-physical cosmology interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1993-01-01

Three interrelated interfaces of particle physics and physical cosmology are discussed: (1) inflation and other phase transitions; (2) Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (and also the quark-hadron transition); and (3) structure formation (including dark matter). Recent observations that affect each of these topics are discussed. Topic number 1 is shown to be consistent with the COBE observations but not proven and it may be having problems with some age-expansion data. Topic number 2 has now been well-tested and is an established ''pillar'' of the Big Bang. Topic number 3 is the prime arena of current physical cosmological activity. Experiments to resolve the current exciting, but still ambiguous, situation following the COBE results are discussed

New Cosmological Model and Its Implications on Observational Data Interpretation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlahovic Branislav

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The paradigm of ΛCDM cosmology works impressively well and with the concept of inflation it explains the universe after the time of decoupling. However there are still a few concerns; after much effort there is no detection of dark matter and there are significant problems in the theoretical description of dark energy. We will consider a variant of the cosmological spherical shell model, within FRW formalism and will compare it with the standard ΛCDM model. We will show that our new topological model satisfies cosmological principles and is consistent with all observable data, but that it may require new interpretation for some data. Considered will be constraints imposed on the model, as for instance the range for the size and allowed thickness of the shell, by the supernovae luminosity distance and CMB data. In this model propagation of the light is confined along the shell, which has as a consequence that observed CMB originated from one point or a limited space region. It allows to interpret the uniformity of the CMB without inflation scenario. In addition this removes any constraints on the uniformity of the universe at the early stage and opens a possibility that the universe was not uniform and that creation of galaxies and large structures is due to the inhomogeneities that originated in the Big Bang.

Constraints on modular inflation in supergravity and string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Covi, L.; Palma, G.A.; Gomez-Reino, M.; Gross, C.; Louis, J.; Hamburg Univ.; Scrucca, C.A.

2008-05-01

We perform a general algebraic analysis on the possibility of realising slow-roll inflation in the moduli sector of string models. This problem turns out to be very closely related to the characterisation of models admitting metastable vacua with non-negative cosmological constant. In fact, we show that the condition for the existence of viable inflationary trajectories is a deformation of the condition for the existence of metastable de Sitter vacua. This condition depends on the ratio between the scale of inflation and the gravitino mass and becomes stronger as this parameter grows. After performing a general study within arbitrary supergravity models, we analyse the implications of our results in several examples. More concretely, in the case of heterotic and orientifold string compactifications on a Calabi-Yau in the large volume limit we show that there may exist fully viable models, allowing both for inflation and stabilisation. Additionally, we show that subleading corrections breaking the no-scale property shared by these models always allow for slow-roll inflation but with an inflationary scale suppressed with respect to the gravitino scale. A scale of inflation larger than the gravitino scale can also be achieved under more restrictive circumstances and only for certain types of compactifications. (orig.)

Magnon inflation: slow roll with steep potentials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adshead, Peter [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Blas, Diego [Theoretical Physics Department, CERN,CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Burgess, C.P.; Hayman, Peter [Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University,Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada); Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5 (Canada); Patil, Subodh P. [Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Geneva,24 Quai Ansermet, Geneva, CH-1211 (Switzerland)

2016-11-04

We find multi-scalar effective field theories (EFTs) that can achieve a slow inflationary roll despite having a scalar potential that does not satisfy G{sup ab}∂{sub a}V∂{sub b}V≪V{sup 2}/M{sub p}{sup 2} (where G{sub ab} is the target-space metric). They evade the usual slow-roll conditions on V because their kinetic energies are dominated by single-derivative terms rather than the usual two-derivative terms. Single derivatives dominate during slow roll and so do not require a breakdown of the usual derivative expansion that underpins calculational control in much of cosmology. The presence of such terms requires some sort of UV Lorentz-symmetry breaking during inflation (besides the usual cosmological breaking). Chromo-natural inflation provides one particular example of a UV theory that can generate the multi-field single-derivative terms we consider, and we argue that the EFT we find indeed captures the slow-roll conditions for its background evolution. We also show that our EFT can be understood as a multi-field generalization of the single-field Cuscuton models. The multi-field case introduces a new feature, however: the scalar kinetic terms define a target-space 2-form, F{sub ab}, whose antisymmetry gives new ways for slow roll to be achieved.

Avoiding the blue spectrum and the fine-tuning of initial conditions in hybrid inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clesse, Sebastien; Rocher, Jonathan

2009-01-01

Hybrid inflation faces two well-known problems: the blue spectrum of the nonsupersymmetric version of the model and the fine-tuning of the initial conditions of the fields leading to sufficient inflation to account for the standard cosmological problems. They are investigated by studying the exact two-fields dynamics instead of assuming slow-roll. When the field values are restricted to be less than the reduced Planck mass, a non-negligible part of the initial condition space (around 15% depending on potential parameters) leads to successful inflation. Most of it is located outside the usual inflationary valley and organized in continuous patterns instead of being isolated as previously found. Their existence is explained and their properties are studied. This shows that no excessive fine-tuning is required for successful hybrid inflation. Moreover, by extending the initial condition space to Planckian-like or super-Planckian values, inflation becomes generically sufficiently long and can produce a red-tilted scalar power spectrum due to slow-roll violations. The robustness of these properties is confirmed by conducting our analysis on three other models of hybrid-type inflation in various framework: 'smooth' and 'shifted' inflation in SUSY and SUGRA, and 'radion assisted' gauge inflation. A high percentage of successful inflation for smooth hybrid inflation (up to 80%) is observed.

Inflation and non-equilibrium dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pi, S.

1989-01-01

Herman Feshbach is a premier nuclear physicist. Although I do no research in his physics subfield, I have found it useful to apply methods developed in that area to early universe investigations that rely on a field-theoretic description for the time evolution of pure and/or mixed initial states. On the occasion of his seventieth birthday, I offer for his enjoyment this essay in which I describe how time-dependent Hartree--Fock methods and their generalizations to mixed states are used in attempts to establish various cosmological scenarios, in particular, inflation. copyright 1989 Academic Press, Inc

Inflationary Cosmology: Is Our Universe Part of a Multiverse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, Alan

2008-01-01

In 1981, Guth proposed the theory of the inflationary universe, a modification of the Big Bang theory, which is generally accepted by scientists to explain how the universe began. Nevertheless, the Big Bang theory leaves some questions, and the theory of inflation attempts to answer them. Guth states that a repulsive gravitational force generated by an exotic form of matter brought about the expansion of the universe. He postulates that the universe underwent an expansion of astronomical proportions within the first trillionth of a second of its existence, during which the seeds for its large-scale structure were generated. Guth and colleagues have further explored the possibility of mimicking inflation in a hypothetical laboratory, thereby creating a new universe, and they concluded that it might be theoretically possible. If it happened, the new universe would not endanger our own universe. Instead, it would slip through a wormhole, a hypothetical space-time travel shortcut, and rapidly disconnect from our universe. In this talk, Guth will explain the inflationary theory and review the features that make it scientifically plausible. In addition, he will discuss the biggest mystery in cosmology: Why is the value of the cosmological constant, sometimes called the 'anti-gravity' effect, so remarkably small compared to theoretical expectations? Guth will explain how the inflationary theory, combined with other ideas from elementary particle physics and cosmology, can provide a possible explanation for this discrepancy.

Inflation, quintessence, and the origin of mass

OpenAIRE

Wetterich, C.Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany

2015-01-01

In a unified picture both inflation and present dynamical dark energy arise from the same scalar field. The history of the Universe describes a crossover from a scale invariant "past fixed point" where all particles are massless, to a "future fixed point" for which spontaneous breaking of the exact scale symmetry generates the particle masses. The cosmological solution can be extrapolated to the infinite past in physical time - the universe has no beginning. This is seen most easily in a fram...

Inflation and pseudo-Goldstone Higgs boson

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alanne, Tommi; Sannino, Francesco; Tenkanen, Tommi

2017-01-01

We consider inflation within a model framework where the Higgs boson arises as a pseudo-Goldstone boson associated with the breaking of a global symmetry at a scale significantly larger than the electroweak one. We show that in such a model the scalar self-couplings can be parametrically suppressed...... and, consequently, the nonminimal couplings to gravity can be of order one or less, while the inflationary predictions of the model remain compatible with the precision cosmological observations. Furthermore, in the model we study, the existence of the electroweak scale is entirely due to the inflaton...

Reheating for closed string inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cicoli, Michele [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Mazumdar, Anupam [Lancaster Univ. (United Kingdom). Physics Dept.; Copenhagen Univ. (Denmark). Niels Bohr Institute

2010-05-15

We point out some of the outstanding challenges for embedding inflationary cosmology within string theory studying the process of reheating for models where the inflaton is a closed string mode parameterising the size of an internal cycle of the compactification manifold. A realistic model of inflation must explain the tiny perturbations in the cosmic microwave background radiation and also how to excite the ordinary matter degrees of freedom after inflation, required for the success of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We study these issues focusing on two promising inflationary models embedded in LARGE volume type IIB flux compactifications. We show that phenomenological requirements and consistency of the effective field theory treatment imply the presence at low energies of a hidden sector together with a visible sector, where the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model fields are residing. A detailed calculation of the inflaton coupling to the fields of the hidden sector, visible sector, and moduli sector, reveals that the inflaton fails to excite primarily the visible sector fields, instead hidden sector fields are excited copiously after the end of inflation. This sets severe constraints on hidden sector model building where the most promising scenario emerges as a pure N=1 SYM theory, forbidding the kinematical decay of the inflaton to the hidden sector. In this case it is possible to reheat the Universe with the visible degrees of freedom even though in some cases we discover a new tension between TeV scale SUSY and reheating on top of the well-known tension between TeV scale SUSY and inflation. (orig.)

Reheating for closed string inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cicoli, Michele; Mazumdar, Anupam; Copenhagen Univ.

2010-05-01

We point out some of the outstanding challenges for embedding inflationary cosmology within string theory studying the process of reheating for models where the inflaton is a closed string mode parameterising the size of an internal cycle of the compactification manifold. A realistic model of inflation must explain the tiny perturbations in the cosmic microwave background radiation and also how to excite the ordinary matter degrees of freedom after inflation, required for the success of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We study these issues focusing on two promising inflationary models embedded in LARGE volume type IIB flux compactifications. We show that phenomenological requirements and consistency of the effective field theory treatment imply the presence at low energies of a hidden sector together with a visible sector, where the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model fields are residing. A detailed calculation of the inflaton coupling to the fields of the hidden sector, visible sector, and moduli sector, reveals that the inflaton fails to excite primarily the visible sector fields, instead hidden sector fields are excited copiously after the end of inflation. This sets severe constraints on hidden sector model building where the most promising scenario emerges as a pure N=1 SYM theory, forbidding the kinematical decay of the inflaton to the hidden sector. In this case it is possible to reheat the Universe with the visible degrees of freedom even though in some cases we discover a new tension between TeV scale SUSY and reheating on top of the well-known tension between TeV scale SUSY and inflation. (orig.)

Reconstructing warm inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Ramón

2018-03-01

The reconstruction of a warm inflationary universe model from the scalar spectral index n_S(N) and the tensor to scalar ratio r( N) as a function of the number of e-folds N is studied. Under a general formalism we find the effective potential and the dissipative coefficient in terms of the cosmological parameters n_S and r considering the weak and strong dissipative stages under the slow roll approximation. As a specific example, we study the attractors for the index n_S given by nS-1∝ N^{-1} and for the ratio r∝ N^{-2}, in order to reconstruct the model of warm inflation. Here, expressions for the effective potential V(φ ) and the dissipation coefficient Γ (φ ) are obtained.

Three P’s in Cosmology: Progress, Problems, and Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dolgov A.D.

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A review on the development of cosmology for a diverse audience is presented. The first historical part is devoted to the works done half a century ago with an emphasize to those performed in Russia (or more precisely, in the Soviet Union. Then the recent data on the cosmic microwave background raditation is discussed and the impact of these data on the neutrino mass and the number of neutrino species is considered. The latter is compared with the results obtained from the big bang nucleosynthesis. Next, a short description and history of the cosmological inflation is presented. The basics of the standard cosmological model and the problems of dark matter and dark energy are considered at the end of the fist section entitled “Progress”. In the next short section, “Problems”, one can find a list of the unsolved cosmological and astrophysical problems, which is by no means fully comprehensive. The last supershort section contains a few words about the perspectives of future development.

Hybrid Higgs inflation: The use of disformal transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Seiga; Maeda, Kei-ichi

2018-04-01

We propose a hybrid type of the conventional Higgs inflation and new Higgs inflation models. We perform a disformal transformation into the Einstein frame and analyze the background dynamics and the cosmological perturbations in the truncated model, in which we ignore the higher-derivative terms of the Higgs field. From the observed power spectrum of the density perturbations, we obtain the constraint on the nonminimal coupling constant ξ and the mass parameter M in the derivative coupling. Although the primordial tilt ns in the hybrid model barely changes, the tensor-to-scalar ratio r moves from the value in the new Higgs inflationary model to that in the conventional Higgs inflationary model as |ξ | increases. We confirm our results by numerical analysis by ADM formalism of the full theory in the Jordan frame.

The cosmological Higgstory of the vacuum instability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Espinosa, José R. [IFAE, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona,08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain); ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats,Barcelona (Spain); Giudice, Gian F. [CERN, Theory Division,CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Morgante, Enrico; Riotto, Antonio [Département de Physique Théorique and Centre for Astroparticle Physics (CAP),Université de Genève, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva 4 (Switzerland); Senatore, Leonardo [Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physicsand Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology,Physics Department and SLAC, Stanford, CA 94025 (United States); Strumia, Alessandro [Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università di Pisa and INFN, Polo Fibonacci,Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa (Italy); National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics,Ravala 10, Tallinn (Estonia); Tetradis, Nikolaos [Department of Physics, University of Athens,Zographou 157 84 (Greece)

2015-09-24

The Standard Model Higgs potential becomes unstable at large field values. After clarifying the issue of gauge dependence of the effective potential, we study the cosmological evolution of the Higgs field in presence of this instability throughout inflation, reheating and the present epoch. We conclude that anti-de Sitter patches in which the Higgs field lies at its true vacuum are lethal for our universe. From this result, we derive upper bounds on the Hubble constant during inflation, which depend on the reheating temperature and on the Higgs coupling to the scalar curvature or to the inflaton. Finally we study how a speculative link between Higgs meta-stability and consistence of quantum gravity leads to a sharp prediction for the Higgs and top masses, which is consistent with measured values.

Supersymmetry, Cosmological Constant and Inflation: Towards a fundamental cosmic picture via "running vacuum"

CERN Document Server

Mavromatos, Nick E

2016-01-01

On the occasion of a century from the proposal of General relativity by Einstein, I attempt to tackle some open issues in modern cosmology, via a toy but non-trivial model. Specifically, I would like to link together: (i) the smallness of the cosmological constant today, (ii) the evolution of the universe from an inflationary era after the big-bang till now, and (iii) local supersymmetry in the gravitational sector (supergravity) with a broken spectrum at early eras, by making use of the concept of the "running vacuum" in the context of a simple toy model of four-dimensional N=1 supergravity. The model is characterised by dynamically broken local supersymmetry, induced by the formation of gravitino condensates in the early universe. As I will argue, there is a Starobinsky-type inflationary era characterising the broken supersymmetry phase in this model, which is compatible with the current cosmological data, provided a given constraint is satisfied among some tree-level parameters of the model and the renorma...

Cosmology for physicists

CERN Document Server

Lyth, David

2016-01-01

Written by an award-winning cosmologist, this brand new textbook provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with coverage of the very latest developments in the observational science of cosmology. The book is separated into three parts; part I covers particle physics and general relativity, part II explores an account of the known history of the universe, and part III studies inflation. Full treatment of the origin of structure, scalar fields, the cosmic microwave background and the early universe are provided. Problems are included in the book with solutions provided in a separate solutions manual. More advanced extension material is offered in the Appendix, ensuring the book is fully accessible to students with a wide variety of background experience.

Behavior of varying-alpha cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrow, John D.; Sandvik, Haavard Bunes; Magueijo, Joao

2002-01-01

We determine the behavior of a time-varying fine structure 'constant' α(t) during the early and late phases of universes dominated by the kinetic energy of changing α(t), radiation, dust, curvature, and lambda, respectively. We show that after leaving an initial vacuum-dominated phase during which α increases, α remains constant in universes such as our own during the radiation era, and then increases slowly, proportional to a logarithm of cosmic time, during the dust era. If the universe becomes dominated by a negative curvature or a positive cosmological constant then α tends rapidly to a constant value. The effect of an early period of de Sitter or power-law inflation is to drive α to a constant value. Various cosmological consequences of these results are discussed with reference to recent observational studies of the value of α from quasar absorption spectra and to the existence of life in expanding universes

Debates of science vs. religion in undergraduate general education cosmology courses

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Aleman, Ramon

2015-04-01

Recent advances in theoretical physics such as the discovery of the Higgs boson or the BICEP2 data supporting inflation can be part of the general science curriculum of non-science majors in a cosmology course designed as part of the General Education component. Yet to be a truly interdisciplinary experience one must deal with the religious background and faith of most of our students. Religious faith seems to be important in their lives, but the philosophical outlook of sciences like cosmology or evolutionary biology is one in which God is an unnecessary component in explaining the nature and origin of the universe. We will review recent advances in cosmology and suggestions on how to establish a respectful and intelligent science vs. religion debate in a transdisciplinary general education setting.

D6-branes and axion monodromy inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Escobar, Dagoberto; Landete, Aitor; Marchesano, Fernando [Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC,Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Regalado, Diego [Max-Planck-Institut für Physik,Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Institute for Theoretical Physics and Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena, Utrecht University,Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht (Netherlands)

2016-03-16

We develop new scenarios of large field inflation in type IIA string compactifications in which the key ingredient is a D6-brane that creates a potential for a B-field axion. The potential has the multi-branched structure typical of F-term axion monodromy models and, near its supersymmetric minima, it is described by a 4d supergravity model of chaotic inflation with a stabiliser field. The same statement applies to the D6-brane Wilson line, which can also be considered as an inflaton candidate. We analyse both cases in the context of type IIA moduli stabilisation, finding an effective potential for the inflaton system and a simple mechanism to lower the inflaton mass with respect to closed string moduli stabilised by fluxes. Finally, we compute the B-field potential for trans-Planckian field values by means of the DBI action. The effect of Planck suppressed corrections is a flattened potential which, in terms of the compactification parameters, interpolates between linear and quadratic inflation. This renders the cosmological parameters of these models compatible with current experimental bounds, with the tensor-to-scalar ratio ranging as 0.08≲r≲0.12.

Pre-big-bang cosmology and circles in the cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, William; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

2011-01-01

We examine the possibility that circles in the cosmic microwave background could be formed by the interaction of a gravitational wave pulse emitted in some pre-big-bang phase of the universe with the last scattering surface. We derive the expected size distribution of such circles, as well as their typical ring width and (for concentric circles) angular separation. We apply these results, in particular, to conformal cyclic cosmology, ekpyrotic cosmology as well as loop quantum cosmology with and without inflation in order to determine how the predicted geometric properties of these circles would vary from one model to the other, and thus, if detected, could allow us to differentiate between various pre-big-bang cosmological models. We also obtain a relation between the angular ring width and the angular radius of such circles that can be used in order to determine whether or not circles observed in the cosmic microwave background are due to energetic pre-big-bang events.

Cosmology with a light ghost

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ivanov, Mikhail M.; Tokareva, Anna A., E-mail: mikhail.ivanov@cern.ch, E-mail: anna.tokareva@epfl.ch [Institute of Physics, LPPC, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2016-12-01

We study the creation and evolution of cosmological perturbations in renormalizable quadratic gravity with a Weyl term. We adopt a prescription that implies the stability of the vacuum at the price of introducing a massive spin-two ghost state, leading to the loss of unitarity. The theory may still be predictive regardless the interpretation of non-unitary processes provided that their rate is negligible compared to the Universe expansion rate. This implies that the ghost is effectively stable. In such a setup, there are two scalar degrees of freedom excited during inflation. The first one is the usual curvature perturbation whose power spectrum appears to coincide with that of single-field inflation. The second one is a scalar component of the ghost encoded in the shift vector of the metric in the uniform inflaton gauge. The amplitudes of primordial tensor and vector perturbations are strongly suppressed. After inflation the ghost field starts to oscillate and its energy density shortly becomes dominant in the Universe. For all ghost masses allowed by laboratory constraints ghosts should have ''overclosed'' the Universe at temperatures higher than that of primordial nucleosynthesis. Thus, the model with the light Weyl ghost is ruled out.

Axion excursions of the landscape during inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Palma, Gonzalo A.; Riquelme, Walter

2017-07-01

Because of their quantum fluctuations, axion fields had a chance to experience field excursions traversing many minima of their potentials during inflation. We study this situation by analyzing the dynamics of an axion field ψ , present during inflation, with a periodic potential given by v (ψ )=Λ4[1 -cos (ψ /f )]. By assuming that the vacuum expectation value of the field is stabilized at one of its minima, say, ψ =0 , we compute every n -point correlation function of ψ up to first order in Λ4 using the in-in formalism. This computation allows us to identify the distribution function describing the probability of measuring ψ at a particular amplitude during inflation. Because ψ is able to tunnel between the barriers of the potential, we find that the probability distribution function consists of a non-Gaussian multimodal distribution such that the probability of measuring ψ at a minimum of v (ψ ) different from ψ =0 increases with time. As a result, at the end of inflation, different patches of the Universe are characterized by different values of the axion field amplitude, leading to important cosmological phenomenology: (a) Isocurvature fluctuations induced by the axion at the end of inflation could be highly non-Gaussian. (b) If the axion defines the strength of standard model couplings, then one is led to a concrete realization of the multiverse. (c) If the axion corresponds to dark matter, one is led to the possibility that, within our observable Universe, dark matter started with a nontrivial initial condition, implying novel signatures for future surveys.

Cosmological Inflation with Multiple Fields and the Theory of Density Fluctuations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tent, B.J.W. van

2002-01-01

Inflation is a stage of extremely rapid expansion in the very early universe. It was proposed to solve a number of problems in the standard Big Bang theory. In particular it others an explanation for the origin of structures like (clusters of) galaxies on the one hand (by generating small density

Disformal transformation of cosmological perturbations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masato Minamitsuji

2014-10-01

Full Text Available We investigate the gauge-invariant cosmological perturbations in the gravity and matter frames in the general scalar–tensor theory where two frames are related by the disformal transformation. The gravity and matter frames are the extensions of the Einstein and Jordan frames in the scalar–tensor theory where two frames are related by the conformal transformation, respectively. First, it is shown that the curvature perturbation in the comoving gauge to the scalar field is disformally invariant as well as conformally invariant, which gives the predictions from the cosmological model where the scalar field is responsible both for inflation and cosmological perturbations. Second, in case that the disformally coupled matter sector also contributes to curvature perturbations, we derive the evolution equations of the curvature perturbation in the uniform matter energy density gauge from the energy (nonconservation in the matter sector, which are independent of the choice of the gravity sector. While in the matter frame the curvature perturbation in the uniform matter energy density gauge is conserved on superhorizon scales for the vanishing nonadiabatic pressure, in the gravity frame it is not conserved even if the nonadiabatic pressure vanishes. The formula relating two frames gives the amplitude of the curvature perturbation in the matter frame, once it is evaluated in the gravity frame.

Disformal transformation of cosmological perturbations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minamitsuji, Masato

2014-01-01

We investigate the gauge-invariant cosmological perturbations in the gravity and matter frames in the general scalar–tensor theory where two frames are related by the disformal transformation. The gravity and matter frames are the extensions of the Einstein and Jordan frames in the scalar–tensor theory where two frames are related by the conformal transformation, respectively. First, it is shown that the curvature perturbation in the comoving gauge to the scalar field is disformally invariant as well as conformally invariant, which gives the predictions from the cosmological model where the scalar field is responsible both for inflation and cosmological perturbations. Second, in case that the disformally coupled matter sector also contributes to curvature perturbations, we derive the evolution equations of the curvature perturbation in the uniform matter energy density gauge from the energy (non)conservation in the matter sector, which are independent of the choice of the gravity sector. While in the matter frame the curvature perturbation in the uniform matter energy density gauge is conserved on superhorizon scales for the vanishing nonadiabatic pressure, in the gravity frame it is not conserved even if the nonadiabatic pressure vanishes. The formula relating two frames gives the amplitude of the curvature perturbation in the matter frame, once it is evaluated in the gravity frame

Cosmic background radiation anisotropy in an open inflation, cold dark matter cosmogony

Science.gov (United States)

Kamionkowski, Marc; Ratra, Bharat; Spergel, David N.; Sugiyama, Naoshi

1994-01-01

We compute the cosmic background radiation anisotropy, produced by energy-density fluctuations generated during an early epoch of inflation, in an open cosmological model based on the cold dark matter scenario. At Omega(sub 0) is approximately 0.3-0.4, the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) normalized open model appears to be consistent with most observations.

Primordial cosmological inflation versus local supersymmetry breaking in SUSY GUTs coupled to N = 1 supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gato, B.; Leon, J.; Ramon-Medrano, M.

1984-01-01

We present a model for a SUSY GUT coupled to N=1 supergravity in which local supersymmetry breaks down in the gauge singlet sector. The constraints for the model to be physically acceptable are incompatible with inflation. The simultaneous breaking of local supersymmetry and gauge symmetry is proposed as a good prospect for inflation. (orig.)

Ghost instabilities of cosmological models with vector fields nonminimally coupled to the curvature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Himmetoglu, Burak; Peloso, Marco; Contaldi, Carlo R.

2009-01-01

We prove that many cosmological models characterized by vectors nonminimally coupled to the curvature (such as the Turner-Widrow mechanism for the production of magnetic fields during inflation, and models of vector inflation or vector curvaton) contain ghosts. The ghosts are associated with the longitudinal vector polarization present in these models and are found from studying the sign of the eigenvalues of the kinetic matrix for the physical perturbations. Ghosts introduce two main problems: (1) they make the theories ill defined at the quantum level in the high energy/subhorizon regime (and create serious problems for finding a well-behaved UV completion), and (2) they create an instability already at the linearized level. This happens because the eigenvalue corresponding to the ghost crosses zero during the cosmological evolution. At this point the linearized equations for the perturbations become singular (we show that this happens for all the models mentioned above). We explicitly solve the equations in the simplest cases of a vector without a vacuum expectation value in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker geometry, and of a vector with a vacuum expectation value plus a cosmological constant, and we show that indeed the solutions of the linearized equations diverge when these equations become singular.

Features in the primordial power spectrum of double D-term inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesgourgues, Julien

2000-01-01

Recently, there has been some interest for building supersymmetric models of double inflation. These models, realistic from a particle physics point of view, predict a broken-scale-invariant power spectrum of primordial cosmological perturbations, that may explain eventual nontrivial features in the present matter power spectrum. In previous works, the primordial spectrum was calculated using analytic slow-roll approximations. However, these models involve a fast second-order phase transition during inflation, with a stage of spinodal instability, and an interruption of slow-roll. For our previous model of double D-term inflation, we simulate numerically the evolution of quantum fluctuations, taking into account the spinodal modes, and we show that the semiclassical approximation can be employed even during the transition, due to the presence of a second inflaton field. The primordial power spectrum possesses a rich structure, and possibly, a non-Gaussian spike on observable scales

Starobinsky-Like Inflation and Running Vacuum in the Context of Supergravity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spyros Basilakos

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We describe the primeval inflationary phase of the early Universe within a quantum field theoretical (QFT framework that can be viewed as the effective action of vacuum decay in the early times. Interestingly enough, the model accounts for the “graceful exit” of the inflationary phase into the standard radiation regime. The underlying QFT framework considered here is supergravity (SUGRA, more specifically an existing formulation in which the Starobinsky-type inflation (de Sitter background emerges from the quantum corrections to the effective action after integrating out the gravitino fields in their (dynamically induced massive phase. We also demonstrate that the structure of the effective action in this model is consistent with the generic idea of re-normalization group (RG running of the cosmological parameters; specifically, it follows from the corresponding RG equation for the vacuum energy density as a function of the Hubble rate, ρ Λ ( H . Overall, our combined approach amounts to a concrete-model realization of inflation triggered by vacuum decay in a fundamental physics context, which, as it turns out, can also be extended for the remaining epochs of the cosmological evolution until the current dark energy era.

Dependence of cosmological energy-density irregularities on the shape of the scalar-field potential during inflation and ''reheating''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratra, B.

1991-01-01

Estimates for the baryon-dominated epoch form of the large-scale adiabatic energy-density irregularities generated during an early scalar-field-dominated inflation epoch, in simple inflation-modified hot-big-bang models, are compared to the widely used approximate general expression, which is proportional to the large-scale, gauge-invariant part of H 2 left-angle φφ * right-angle/(Φ b ) 2 evaluated at the first Hubble radius crossing (here Φ b and φ are the spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous parts of the scalar field, H is the Hubble parameter, and an overdot represents a derivative with respect to time). In the de Sitter inflation limit, if the inflation-epoch background scalar-field solution is an ''attractor,'' or if there is sufficient inflation before the scale of interest leaves the Hubble radius, the approximate general expression identically reproduces what we have found. It is also less than an order of magnitude away from our expression in a large fraction of the parameter space of the inflation model we study and is within 2 orders of magnitude of our result in almost all of parameter space. We also show that the more accurate general expression (which the above formula is an approximation of) identically reproduces our results in the simple models studied, provided the inflation-epoch background scalar-field solution is an ''attractor'' or if there is sufficient inflation. The approximate general formula is used to restudy energy-density inhomogeneities in the quartic-potential scalar-field de Sitter inflation model; the difference between the standard result in this model and our result in related models is traced to a difference in the form of the part of the potential used to model ''reheating'' and the end of inflation

Unifying inflation with dark energy in modified F(R) Horava-Lifshitz gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elizalde, E.; Saez-Gomez, D.; Nojiri, S.; Odintsov, S.D.

2010-01-01

We study FRW cosmology for a non-linear modified F(R) Horava-Lifshitz gravity which has a viable convenient counterpart. A unified description of early-time inflation and late-time acceleration is possible in this theory, but the cosmological dynamic details are generically different from the ones of the convenient viable F(R) model. Remarkably, for some specific choice of parameters they do coincide. The emergence of finite-time future singularities is investigated in detail. It is shown that these singularities can be cured by adding an extra, higher-derivative term, which turns out to be qualitatively different when compared with the corresponding one of the convenient F(R) theory. (orig.)

Topics in inflationary cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahajan, S.

1986-04-01

Several aspects of inflationary cosmologies are discussed. An introduction to the standard hot big bang cosmological model is reviewed, and some of the problems associated with it are presented. A short review of the proposals for solving the cosmological conundrums of the big bang model is presented. Old and the new inflationary scenarios are discussed and shown to be unacceptable. Some alternative scenarios especially those using supersymmetry are reviewed briefly. A study is given of inflationary models where the same set of fields that breaks supersymmetry is also responsible for inflation. In these models, the scale of supersymmetry breaking is related to the slope of the potential near the origin and can thus be kept low. It is found that a supersymmetry breaking scale of the order of the weak breaking scale. The cosmology obtained from the simplest of such models is discussed in detail and it is shown that there are no particular problems except a low reheating temperature and a violation of the thermal constraint. A possible solution to the thermal constraint problem is given by introducing a second field, and the role played by this second field in the scenario is discussed. An alternative mechanism for the generation of baryon number within the framework of supergravity inflationary models is studied using the gravitational couplings of the heavy fields with the hidden sector (the sector which breaks supersymmetry). This mechanism is applied to two specific models - one with and one without supersymmetry breaking. The baryon to entropy ratio is found to be dependent on parameters which are model dependent. Finally, the effect of direct coupling between the two sectors on results is related, 88 refs., 6 figs

Cosmological applications of algebraic quantum field theory in curved spacetimes

CERN Document Server

Hack, Thomas-Paul

2016-01-01

This book provides a largely self-contained and broadly accessible exposition on two cosmological applications of algebraic quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime: a fundamental analysis of the cosmological evolution according to the Standard Model of Cosmology; and a fundamental study of the perturbations in inflation. The two central sections of the book dealing with these applications are preceded by sections providing a pedagogical introduction to the subject. Introductory material on the construction of linear QFTs on general curved spacetimes with and without gauge symmetry in the algebraic approach, physically meaningful quantum states on general curved spacetimes, and the backreaction of quantum fields in curved spacetimes via the semiclassical Einstein equation is also given. The reader should have a basic understanding of General Relativity and QFT on Minkowski spacetime, but no background in QFT on curved spacetimes or the algebraic approach to QFT is required.

Nonlinear viscosity in brane-world cosmology with a Gauss–Bonnet term

Science.gov (United States)

Debnath, P. S.; Beesham, A.; Paul, B. C.

2018-06-01

Cosmological solutions are obtained with nonlinear bulk viscous cosmological fluid in the Randall–Sundrum type II (RS) brane-world model with or without Gauss–Bonnet (GB) terms. To describe such a viscous fluid, we consider the nonlinear transport equation which may be used far from equilibrium during inflation or reheating. Cosmological models are explored for both (i) power law and (ii) exponential evolution of the early universe in the presence of an imperfect fluid described by the non-linear Israel and Stewart theory (nIS). We obtain analytic solutions and the complex field equations are also analyzed numerically to study the evolution of the universe. The stability analysis of the equilibrium points of the dynamical system associated with the evolution of the nonlinear bulk viscous fluid in the RS Brane in the presence (or absence) of a GB term are also studied.

A numerical simulation of pre-big bang cosmology

CERN Document Server

Maharana, J P; Veneziano, Gabriele

1998-01-01

We analyse numerically the onset of pre-big bang inflation in an inhomogeneous, spherically symmetric Universe. Adding a small dilatonic perturbation to a trivial (Milne) background, we find that suitable regions of space undergo dilaton-driven inflation and quickly become spatially flat ($\\Omega \\to 1$). Numerical calculations are pushed close enough to the big bang singularity to allow cross checks against previously proposed analytic asymptotic solutions.

Towards a resolution of the cosmological singularity in non-local higher derivative theories of gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Tirthabir; Koivisto, Tomi; Mazumdar, Anupam

2010-01-01

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 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

Exploring cosmic origins with CORE: Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Finelli, F.; Bucher, M.; Achúcarro, A.; Ballardini, M.; Bartolo, N.; Baumann, D.; Clesse, S.; Errard, J.; Handley, W.; Hindmarsh, M.; Kiiveri, K.; Kunz, M.; Lasenby, A.; Liguori, M.; Paoletti, D.; Ringeval, C.; Väliviita, J.; van Tent, B.; Vennin, V.; Ade, P.; Allison, R.; Arroja, F.; Ashdown, M.; Banday, A. J.; Banerji, R.; Bartlett, J. G.; Basak, S.; de Bernardis, P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bonaldi, A.; Borril, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Boulanger, F.; Brinckmann, T.; Burigana, C.; Buzzelli, A.; Cai, Z.-Y.; Calvo, M.; Carvalho, C. S.; Castellano, G.; Challinor, A.; Chluba, J.; Colantoni, I.; Coppolecchia, A.; Crook, M.; D'Alessandro, G.; D'Amico, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Desjacques, V.; De Zotti, G.; Diego, J. M.; Di Valentino, E.; Feeney, S.; Fergusson, J. R.; Fernandez-Cobos, R.; Ferraro, S.; Forastieri, F.; Galli, S.; García-Bellido, J.; de Gasperis, G.; Génova-Santos, R. T.; Gerbino, M.; González-Nuevo, J.; Grandis, S.; Greenslade, J.; Hagstotz, S.; Hanany, S.; Hazra, D. K.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Hervias-Caimapo, C.; Hills, M.; Hivon, E.; Hu, B.; Kisner, T.; Kitching, T.; Kovetz, E. D.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lamagna, L.; Lattanzi, M.; Lesgourgues, J.; Lewis, A.; Lindholm, V.; Lizarraga, J.; López-Caniego, M.; Luzzi, G.; Maffei, B.; Mandolesi, N.; Martínez-González, E.; Martins, C. J. A. P.; Masi, S.; McCarthy, D.; Matarrese, S.; Melchiorri, A.; Melin, J.-B.; Molinari, D.; Monfardini, A.; Natoli, P.; Negrello, M.; Notari, A.; Oppizzi, F.; Paiella, A.; Pajer, E.; Patanchon, G.; Patil, S. P.; Piat, M.; Pisano, G.; Polastri, L.; Polenta, G.; Pollo, A.; Poulin, V.; Quartin, M.; Ravenni, A.; Remazeilles, M.; Renzi, A.; Roest, D.; Roman, M.; Rubiño-Martin, J. A.; Salvati, L.; Starobinsky, A. A.; Tartari, A.; Tasinato, G.; Tomasi, M.; Torrado, J.; Trappe, N.; Trombetti, T.; Tucci, M.; Tucker, C.; Urrestilla, J.; van de Weygaert, R.; Vielva, P.; Vittorio, N.; Young, K.; Zannoni, M.

2018-04-01

We forecast the scientific capabilities to improve our understanding of cosmic inflation of CORE, a proposed CMB space satellite submitted in response to the ESA fifth call for a medium-size mission opportunity. The CORE satellite will map the CMB anisotropies in temperature and polarization in 19 frequency channels spanning the range 60–600 GHz. CORE will have an aggregate noise sensitivity of 1.7 μKṡ arcmin and an angular resolution of 5' at 200 GHz. We explore the impact of telescope size and noise sensitivity on the inflation science return by making forecasts for several instrumental configurations. This study assumes that the lower and higher frequency channels suffice to remove foreground contaminations and complements other related studies of component separation and systematic effects, which will be reported in other papers of the series "Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE." We forecast the capability to determine key inflationary parameters, to lower the detection limit for the tensor-to-scalar ratio down to the 10‑3 level, to chart the landscape of single field slow-roll inflationary models, to constrain the epoch of reheating, thus connecting inflation to the standard radiation-matter dominated Big Bang era, to reconstruct the primordial power spectrum, to constrain the contribution from isocurvature perturbations to the 10‑3 level, to improve constraints on the cosmic string tension to a level below the presumptive GUT scale, and to improve the current measurements of primordial non-Gaussianities down to the fNLlocal inflation. Its capabilities will be further enhanced by combining with complementary future cosmological observations.

No-boundary measure in the regime of eternal inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartle, James; Hawking, S. W.; Hertog, Thomas

2010-01-01

The no-boundary wave function (NBWF) specifies a measure for prediction in cosmology that selects inflationary histories and remains well behaved for spatially large or infinite universes. This paper explores the predictions of the NBWF for linear scalar fluctuations about homogeneous and isotropic backgrounds in models with a single scalar field moving in a quadratic potential. We treat both the spacetime geometry of the universe and the observers inhabiting it quantum mechanically. We evaluate top-down probabilities for local observations that are conditioned on the NBWF and on part of our data as observers of the universe. For models where the most probable histories do not have a regime of eternal inflation, the NBWF predicts homogeneity on large scales, a spectrum of observable fluctuations with a small non-Gaussian component, and a small amount of inflation in our past. By contrast, for models where the dominant histories have a regime of eternal inflation, the NBWF predicts significant inhomogeneity on scales much larger than the present horizon, a Gaussian spectrum of observable fluctuations, and a long period of inflation in our past. The absence or presence of non-Gaussianity in our observable universe therefore provides information about its global structure, assuming the NBWF.

Approaches to linear local gauge-invariant observables in inflationary cosmologies

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fröb, M. B.; Hack, T.-P.; Khavkine, Igor

2018-01-01

Roč. 35, č. 11 (2018), č. článku 115002. ISSN 0264-9381 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA18-07776S Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Gauge-invariant observables * cosmological perturbations * single field inflation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 3.119, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6382/aabcb7/meta

Fast or Slow Rescue Ventilations: A Predictive Model of Gastric Inflation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitz-Clarke, John R

2018-05-01

Rescue ventilations are given during respiratory and cardiac arrest. Tidal volume must assure oxygen delivery; however, excessive pressure applied to an unprotected airway can cause gastric inflation, regurgitation, and pulmonary aspiration. The optimal technique provides mouth pressure and breath duration that minimize gastric inflation. It remains unclear if breath delivery should be fast or slow, and how inflation time affects the division of gas flow between the lungs and esophagus. A physiological model was used to predict and compare rates of gastric inflation and to determine ideal ventilation duration. Gas flow equations were based on standard pulmonary physiology. Gastric inflation was assumed to occur whenever mouth pressure exceeded lower esophageal sphincter pressure. Mouth pressure profiles that approximated mouth-to-mouth ventilation and bag-valve-mask ventilation were investigated. Target tidal volumes were set to 0.6 and 1.0 L. Compliance and airway resistance were varied. Rapid breaths shorter than 1 s required high mouth pressures, up to 25 cm H 2 O to achieve the target lung volume, which thus promotes gastric inflation. Slow breaths longer than 1 s permitted lower mouth pressures but increased time over which airway pressure exceeded lower esophageal sphincter pressure. The gastric volume increased with breath durations that exceeded 1 s for both mouth pressure profiles. Breath duration of ∼1.0 s caused the least gastric inflation in most scenarios. Very low esophageal sphincter pressure favored a shift toward 0.5 s. High resistance and low compliance each increased gastric inflation and altered ideal breath times. The model illustrated a general theory of optimal rescue ventilation. Breath duration with an unprotected airway should be 1 s to minimize gastric inflation. Short pressure-driven and long duration-driven gastric inflation regimens provide a unifying explanation for results in past studies. Copyright © 2018 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Loop Quantum Cosmology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojowald Martin

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Quantum gravity is expected to be necessary in order to understand situations in which classical general relativity breaks down. In particular in cosmology one has to deal with initial singularities, i.e., the fact that the backward evolution of a classical spacetime inevitably comes to an end after a finite amount of proper time. This presents a breakdown of the classical picture and requires an extended theory for a meaningful description. Since small length scales and high curvatures are involved, quantum effects must play a role. Not only the singularity itself but also the surrounding spacetime is then modified. One particular theory is loop quantum cosmology, an application of loop quantum gravity to homogeneous systems, which removes classical singularities. Its implications can be studied at different levels. The main effects are introduced into effective classical equations, which allow one to avoid the interpretational problems of quantum theory. They give rise to new kinds of early-universe phenomenology with applications to inflation and cyclic models. To resolve classical singularities and to understand the structure of geometry around them, the quantum description is necessary. Classical evolution is then replaced by a difference equation for a wave function, which allows an extension of quantum spacetime beyond classical singularities. One main question is how these homogeneous scenarios are related to full loop quantum gravity, which can be dealt with at the level of distributional symmetric states. Finally, the new structure of spacetime arising in loop quantum gravity and its application to cosmology sheds light on more general issues, such as the nature of time.

Loop Quantum Cosmology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojowald Martin

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Quantum gravity is expected to be necessary in order to understand situations where classical general relativity breaks down. In particular in cosmology one has to deal with initial singularities, i.e., the fact that the backward evolution of a classical space-time inevitably comes to an end after a finite amount of proper time. This presents a breakdown of the classical picture and requires an extended theory for a meaningful description. Since small length scales and high curvatures are involved, quantum effects must play a role. Not only the singularity itself but also the surrounding space-time is then modified. One particular realization is loop quantum cosmology, an application of loop quantum gravity to homogeneous systems, which removes classical singularities. Its implications can be studied at different levels. Main effects are introduced into effective classical equations which allow to avoid interpretational problems of quantum theory. They give rise to new kinds of early universe phenomenology with applications to inflation and cyclic models. To resolve classical singularities and to understand the structure of geometry around them, the quantum description is necessary. Classical evolution is then replaced by a difference equation for a wave function which allows to extend space-time beyond classical singularities. One main question is how these homogeneous scenarios are related to full loop quantum gravity, which can be dealt with at the level of distributional symmetric states. Finally, the new structure of space-time arising in loop quantum gravity and its application to cosmology sheds new light on more general issues such as time.

Working Paper 151 - The Dynamics of Inflation in Ethiopia and Kenya

OpenAIRE

Dick Durevall; Bo Sjö

2012-01-01

This study provides an assessment of the main drivers of inflation in Ethiopia and Kenya by developing single-equation error correction models for the Consumer Price Index in each country. This approach takes into account a number of potential sources of the recent surge in inflation, including excess money supply, exchange rates, food and non-food world prices, world energy prices and domestic agricultural supply shocks. We find that the inflation rates in both Ethiopia and Kenya are driven ...

Helical Phase Inflation and Monodromy in Supergravity Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianjun Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We study helical phase inflation which realizes “monodromy inflation” in supergravity theory. In the model, inflation is driven by the phase component of a complex field whose potential possesses helicoid structure. We construct phase monodromy based on explicitly breaking global U(1 symmetry in the superpotential. By integrating out heavy fields, the phase monodromy from single complex scalar field is realized and the model fulfills natural inflation. The phase-axion alignment is achieved from explicitly symmetry breaking and gives super-Planckian phase decay constant. The F-term scalar potential provides strong field stabilization for all the scalars except inflaton, which is protected by the approximate global U(1 symmetry. Besides, we show that helical phase inflation can be naturally realized in no-scale supergravity with SU(2,1/SU(2×U(1 symmetry since the supergravity setup needed for phase monodromy is automatically provided in the no-scale Kähler potential. We also demonstrate that helical phase inflation can be reduced to another well-known supergravity inflation model with shift symmetry. Helical phase inflation is free from the UV-sensitivity problem although there is super-Planckian field excursion, and it suggests that inflation can be effectively studied based on supersymmetric field theory while a UV-completed framework is not prerequisite.

Computational complexity of the landscape II-Cosmological considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Denef, Frederik; Douglas, Michael R.; Greene, Brian; Zukowski, Claire

2018-05-01

We propose a new approach for multiverse analysis based on computational complexity, which leads to a new family of "computational" measure factors. By defining a cosmology as a space-time containing a vacuum with specified properties (for example small cosmological constant) together with rules for how time evolution will produce the vacuum, we can associate global time in a multiverse with clock time on a supercomputer which simulates it. We argue for a principle of "limited computational complexity" governing early universe dynamics as simulated by this supercomputer, which translates to a global measure for regulating the infinities of eternal inflation. The rules for time evolution can be thought of as a search algorithm, whose details should be constrained by a stronger principle of "minimal computational complexity". Unlike previously studied global measures, ours avoids standard equilibrium considerations and the well-known problems of Boltzmann Brains and the youngness paradox. We also give various definitions of the computational complexity of a cosmology, and argue that there are only a few natural complexity classes.

Vacua and inflation in string theory and supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rummel, Markus

2013-07-01

We study the connection between the early and late accelerated expansion of the universe and string theory. In Part I of this thesis, the observational degeneracy between single field models of inflation with canonical kinetic terms and noncanonical kinetic terms, in particular string theory inspired models, is discussed. The 2-point function observables of a given non-canonical theory and its canonical transform that is obtained by matching the inflationary trajectories in phase space are found to match in the case of Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) inflation. At the level of the 3-point function observables (non-Gaussianities), we find degeneracy between non-canonical inflation and canonical inflation with a potential that includes a sum of modulated terms. In Part II, we present explicit examples for de Sitter vacua in type IIB string theory. After deriving a sufficient condition for de Sitter vacua in the Kahler uplifting scenario, we show that a globally consistent de Sitter model can be realized on a certain Calabi-Yau manifold. All geometric moduli are stabilized and all known consistency constraints are fulfilled. The complex structure moduli stabilization by fluxes is studied explicitly for a small number of cycles. Extrapolating to a larger number of flux carrying cycles, we verify statistical studies in the literature which show that, in principle, the string landscape can account for a universe with an extremely small cosmological constant.

Vacua and inflation in string theory and supergravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rummel, Markus

2013-07-15

We study the connection between the early and late accelerated expansion of the universe and string theory. In Part I of this thesis, the observational degeneracy between single field models of inflation with canonical kinetic terms and noncanonical kinetic terms, in particular string theory inspired models, is discussed. The 2-point function observables of a given non-canonical theory and its canonical transform that is obtained by matching the inflationary trajectories in phase space are found to match in the case of Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) inflation. At the level of the 3-point function observables (non-Gaussianities), we find degeneracy between non-canonical inflation and canonical inflation with a potential that includes a sum of modulated terms. In Part II, we present explicit examples for de Sitter vacua in type IIB string theory. After deriving a sufficient condition for de Sitter vacua in the Kahler uplifting scenario, we show that a globally consistent de Sitter model can be realized on a certain Calabi-Yau manifold. All geometric moduli are stabilized and all known consistency constraints are fulfilled. The complex structure moduli stabilization by fluxes is studied explicitly for a small number of cycles. Extrapolating to a larger number of flux carrying cycles, we verify statistical studies in the literature which show that, in principle, the string landscape can account for a universe with an extremely small cosmological constant.

Anatomy of $F_D$-Term Hybrid Inflation

CERN Document Server

Garbrecht, B; Pilaftsis, Apostolos; Garbrecht, Bjorn; Pallis, Constantinos; Pilaftsis, Apostolos

2006-01-01

We analyze the cosmological implications of F-term hybrid inflation with a subdominant Fayet--Iliopoulos D-term whose presence explicitly breaks a D-parity in the inflaton-waterfall sector. This scenario of inflation, which is called F_D-term hybrid model for brevity, can naturally predict lepton number violation at the electroweak scale, by tying the mu-parameter of the MSSM to an SO(3)-symmetric Majorana mass m_N, via the vacuum expectation value of the inflaton field. We show how a negative Hubble-induced mass term in a next-to-minimal extension of supergravity helps to accommodate the present CMB data and considerably weaken the strict constraints on the theoretical parameters, resulting from cosmic string effects on the power spectrum P_R. The usual gravitino overabundance constraint may be significantly relaxed in this model, once the enormous entropy release from the late decays of the ultraheavy waterfall gauge particles is properly considered. As the Universe enters a second thermalization phase invo...

Supersymmetric inflation, baryon asymmetry and the gravitino problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovrut, B.A.; Pennsylvania Univ., Philadelphia; Steinhardt, P.J.

1984-01-01

A special class of locally supersymmetric models has been found which can produce a phase transition that meets all the conditions necessary for the inflationary universe scenario and which sets, via spontaneous supersymmetry breaking, a mass hierarchy consistent with the electroweak unification scale. In this paper we show that the same models can produce a baryon asymmetry after inflation that is consistent with astrophysical observations and can avoid the cosmological problems caused by gravitinos that appear in almost all other locally supersymmetric models. (orig.)

Cosmology and the origin of structure

CERN Multimedia

Kolb, Edward W; CERN. Geneva. Audiovisual Unit

2002-01-01

There is now strong evidence that the rich and varied structure we see in the universe today in the form of stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and even larger structures, grew from small primordial 'seeds' that were planted in the first second in the history of the universe. The last decade has seen remarkable advances in observational cosmology, highlighted by the observations of galaxies in the deep universe and the observation of primordial fluctuations in the microwave background. With the increasing accuracy and sophistication of astronomical observations, the details of our theory for the growth of structure will be tested. These lectures will serve as an introduction to the generation and growth of structure in the universe. The series of four lectures will follow the program: Lecture 1: The observed universe Lecture 2: The growth of cosmological structure Lecture 3: Inflation and the origin of perturbations Lecture 4: Dark matter and dark energy

How decoherence affects the probability of slow-roll eternal inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Boddy, Kimberly K.; Carroll, Sean M.; Pollack, Jason

2017-07-01

Slow-roll inflation can become eternal if the quantum variance of the inflaton field around its slowly rolling classical trajectory is converted into a distribution of classical spacetimes inflating at different rates, and if the variance is large enough compared to the rate of classical rolling that the probability of an increased rate of expansion is sufficiently high. Both of these criteria depend sensitively on whether and how perturbation modes of the inflaton interact and decohere. Decoherence is inevitable as a result of gravitationally sourced interactions whose strength are proportional to the slow-roll parameters. However, the weakness of these interactions means that decoherence is typically delayed until several Hubble times after modes grow beyond the Hubble scale. We present perturbative evidence that decoherence of long-wavelength inflaton modes indeed leads to an ensemble of classical spacetimes with differing cosmological evolutions. We introduce the notion of per-branch observables—expectation values with respect to the different decohered branches of the wave function—and show that the evolution of modes on individual branches varies from branch to branch. Thus, single-field slow-roll inflation fulfills the quantum-mechanical criteria required for the validity of the standard picture of eternal inflation. For a given potential, the delayed decoherence can lead to slight quantitative adjustments to the regime in which the inflaton undergoes eternal inflation.

How long before the end of inflation were observable perturbations produced?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liddle, Andrew R.; Leach, Samuel M.

2003-01-01

We reconsider the issue of the number of e-foldings before the end of inflation at which observable perturbations were generated. We determine a plausible upper limit on that number for the standard cosmology which is around 60, with the expectation that the actual value will be up to 10 below this. We also note a special property of the λφ 4 model which reduces the uncertainties in that case and favors a higher value, giving a fairly definite prediction of 64 e-foldings for that model. We note an extreme (and highly implausible) situation where the number of e-foldings can be even higher, possibly up to 100, and discuss the shortcomings of quantifying inflation by e-foldings rather than by the change in aH. Finally, we discuss the impact of nonstandard evolution between the end of inflation and the present, showing that again the expected number of e-foldings can be modified, and in some cases significantly increased

Quantum cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawking, S.W.

1984-01-01

The subject of these lectures is quantum effects in cosmology. The author deals first with situations in which the gravitational field can be treated as a classical, unquantized background on which the quantum matter fields propagate. This is the case with inflation at the GUT era. Nevertheless the curvature of spacetime can have important effects on the behaviour of the quantum fields and on the development of long-range correlations. He then turns to the question of the quantization of the gravitational field itself. The plan of these lectures is as follows: Euclidean approach to quantum field theory in flat space; the extension of techniques to quantum fields on a curved background with the four-sphere, the Euclidean version of De Sitter space as a particular example; the GUT era; quantization of the gravitational field by Euclidean path integrals; mini superspace model. (Auth.)

Inflation and Inflation Uncertainty in Turkey

OpenAIRE

dogru, bulent

2014-01-01

Abstract: In this study, the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty is analyzed using Granger causality tests with annual inflation series covering the time period 1923 to 2012 for Turkish Economy. Inflation uncertainty is measured by Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic model. Econometric findings suggest that although in long run the Friedman's hypothesis that high inflation increases inflation ...

The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitz, Kai

2012-07-01

We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmitz, Kai

2012-07-15

We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

Propagators for gauge-invariant observables in cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Fröb, Markus B.; Lima, William C. C.

2018-05-01

We make a proposal for gauge-invariant observables in perturbative quantum gravity in cosmological spacetimes, building on the recent work of Brunetti et al (2016 J. High Energy Phys. JHEP08(2016)032). These observables are relational, and are obtained by evaluating the field operator in a field-dependent coordinate system. We show that it is possible to define this coordinate system such that the non-localities inherent in any higher-order observable in quantum gravity are causal, i.e. the value of the gauge-invariant observable at a point x only depends on the metric and inflation perturbations in the past light cone of x. We then construct propagators for the metric and inflaton perturbations in a gauge adapted to that coordinate system, which simplifies the calculation of loop corrections, and give explicit expressions for relevant cases: matter- and radiation-dominated eras and slow-roll inflation.

Inflation from supergravity with gauged R-symmetry in de Sitter vacuum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antoniadis, I. [LPTHE, UMR CNRS 7589 Sorbonne Universites, UPMC Paris 6, Paris (France); University of Bern, Albert Einstein Center, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Bern (Switzerland); Chatrabhuti, A.; Isono, H. [Chulalongkorn University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Bangkok (Thailand); Knoops, R. [Universite de Geneve, Section de Mathematiques, Geneva (Switzerland); KU Leuven, Instituut voor Theoretische Fysica, Leuven (Belgium)

2016-12-15

We study the cosmology of a recent model of supersymmetry breaking, in the presence of a tuneable positive cosmological constant, based on a gauged shift symmetry of a string modulus that can be identified with the string dilaton. The minimal spectrum of the 'hidden' supersymmetry breaking sector consists then of a vector multiplet that gauges the shift symmetry of the dilaton multiplet and when coupled to the MSSM leads to a distinct low energy phenomenology depending on one parameter. Here we study the question if this model can also lead to inflation by identifying the dilaton with the inflaton. We find that this is possible if the Kaehler potential is modified by a term that has the form of NS5-brane instantons, leading to an appropriate inflationary plateau around the maximum of the scalar potential, depending on two extra parameters. This model is consistent with present cosmological observations without modifying the low energy particle phenomenology associated to the minimum of the scalar potential. (orig.)

Particles and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tkachev, Igor

1993-01-01

When the common ground between particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology started to become a developing area, the Institute for Nuclear Research (INR) of the Russian Academy of Sciences had the foresight in 1981 to institute the Baksan Schools on Particles and Cosmology. This now traditional event, held biannually in the Baksan Valley, has gone on to attract international participation. The site is close to the INR Baksan Neutrino Observatory with its underground and surface installations, including the SAGE gallium solar neutrino detector, the Underground Scintillation Telescope, and the 'Carpet' extensive air shower array. Participation is mainly from experimentalists working in non accelerator particle physics and particle astrophysics. The most recent School, held from April 21 to 28, began with an opening address by INR Director V. A. Matveev. J.Frieman reviewed standard big bang cosmology, emphasizing how the recent COBE results and the observations of large scale galaxy clustering fit into a standard cosmology framework. For inflationary cosmology, he showed how different models may be tested through their predictions for large-scale galactic structure and for cosmic microwave background anisotropy. A.Stebbins presented details of the large scale distribution of galaxies which, combined with velocity information and microwave background anisotropy data, provide strong constraints on theories of the origin of primordial inhomogeneities. Inflation requires, and theories of the large scale structure strongly favour the critical value for the cosmic mass density, while, as D.Seckel explained in his lecture on nucleosynthesis and abundances of the light elements, the baryon contribution to this density has to be tens of times smaller. A general review on the observational evidence for dark matter, dark matter particle candidates and the strategy of dark matter searches was given by I. Tkachev, who stressed the gravitational microlensing MACHO

A college course on relativity and cosmology

CERN Document Server

Cheng, Ta-Pei

2015-01-01

This advanced undergraduate text introduces Einstein's general theory of relativity. The topics covered include geometric formulation of special relativity, the principle of equivalence, Einstein's field equation and its spherical-symmetric solution, as well as cosmology. An emphasis is placed on physical examples and simple applications without the full tensor apparatus. It begins by examining the physics of the equivalence principle and looks at how it inspired Einstein's idea of curved spacetime as the gravitational field. At a more mathematically accessible level, it provides a metric description of a warped space, allowing the reader to study many interesting phenomena such as gravitational time dilation, GPS operation, light deflection, precession of Mercury's perihelion, and black holes. Numerous modern topics in cosmology are discussed from primordial inflation and cosmic microwave background to the dark energy that propels an accelerating universe. Building on Cheng's previous book, 'Relativity, Grav...

The new images of the microwave sky: a concordance cosmology?

CERN Document Server

Bernardis, P D; Bock, J J; Bond, J R; Borrill, J; Boscaleri, A; Coble, K; Contaldi, C R; Crill, B P; De Gasperis, G; De Troia, G; Farese, P; Ganga, K; Giacometti, M; Hivon, E; Hristov, V V; Iacoangeli, A; Jaffe, A H; Jones, W C; Lange, A E; Martinis, L; Mason, P; Mauskopf, P D; Melchiorri, A; Montroy, T; Natoli, P; Netterfield, C B; Pascale, E; Piacentini, F; Pogosyan, D; Polenta, G; Pongetti, F; Prunet, S; Romeo, G; Ruhl, J E; Scaramuzzi, F; Vittorio, N

2002-01-01

The existence and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the large scale distribution of Galaxies, the expansion of the Universe and the abundance of light elements can be all be explained with a single cosmological model. In this paper we focus on the CMB anisotropy maps produced by the BOOMERanG experiment and on their impact on cosmology. The images are consistent with the result of acoustic oscillations of the photons-matter plasma in the pre-recombination Universe (z > or approx. 1000). We show how the instrument and the observations have been optimized and how the basic parameters of the model are derived from the data. These observations of the CMB are gaussian and point to a low curvature Universe (omega approx 1), as expected in the inflation scenario. In order to fit these observations and other cosmological evidence, the composition of the Universe must have significant contributions from dark matter (omega sub m approx 0.3) and dark energy (omega subLAMBDA approx 0.7).

Rescuing Quadratic Inflation

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John; Sueiro, Maria

2014-01-01

Inflationary models based on a single scalar field $\\phi$ with a quadratic potential $V = \\frac{1}{2} m^2 \\phi^2$ are disfavoured by the recent Planck constraints on the scalar index, $n_s$, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio for cosmological density perturbations, $r_T$. In this paper we study how such a quadratic inflationary model can be rescued by postulating additional fields with quadratic potentials, such as might occur in sneutrino models, which might serve as either curvatons or supplementary inflatons. Introducing a second scalar field reduces but does not remove the pressure on quadratic inflation, but we find a sample of three-field models that are highly compatible with the Planck data on $n_s$ and $r_T$. We exhibit a specific three-sneutrino example that is also compatible with the data on neutrino mass difference and mixing angles.

SM*A*S*H (Standard Model*Axion*Seesaw*Higgs portal inflation)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringwald, Andreas

2016-10-01

We present a minimal model for particle physics and cosmology. The Standard Model (SM) particle content is extended by three right-handed SM-singlet neutrinos N_i and a vector-like quark Q, all of them being charged under a global lepton number and Peccei-Quinn (PQ) U(1) symmetry which is spontaneously broken by the vacuum expectation value υ_σ∝10"1"1 GeV of a SM-singlet complex scalar field σ. Five fundamental problems - neutrino oscillations, baryogenesis, dark matter, inflation, strong CP problem - are solved at one stroke in this model, dubbed ''SM*A*S*H'' (Standard Model*Axion*Seesaw*Higgs portal inflation). It can be probed decisively by upcoming cosmic microwave background and axion dark matter experiments.

Cosmology Without Finality

Science.gov (United States)

Mahootian, F.

2009-12-01

The rapid convergence of advancing sensor technology, computational power, and knowledge discovery techniques over the past decade has brought unprecedented volumes of astronomical data together with unprecedented capabilities of data assimilation and analysis. A key result is that a new, data-driven "observational-inductive'' framework for scientific inquiry is taking shape and proving viable. The anticipated rise in data flow and processing power will have profound effects, e.g., confirmations and disconfirmations of existing theoretical claims both for and against the big bang model. But beyond enabling new discoveries can new data-driven frameworks of scientific inquiry reshape the epistemic ideals of science? The history of physics offers a comparison. The Bohr-Einstein debate over the "completeness'' of quantum mechanics centered on a question of ideals: what counts as science? We briefly examine lessons from that episode and pose questions about their applicability to cosmology. If the history of 20th century physics is any indication, the abandonment of absolutes (e.g., space, time, simultaneity, continuity, determinacy) can produce fundamental changes in understanding. The classical ideal of science, operative in both physics and cosmology, descends from the European Enlightenment. This ideal has for over 200 years guided science to seek the ultimate order of nature, to pursue the absolute theory, the "theory of everything.'' But now that we have new models of scientific inquiry powered by new technologies and driven more by data than by theory, it is time, finally, to relinquish dreams of a "final'' theory.

Craig and Kalam Cosmological Argument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gholamhosein Tavacoly

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Among different arguments for the existence of God the Kalam cosmological argument is a very famous one which is elaborated by Professor William lane Craig. Craig claims that the universe began to exist , then he continues to say: everything that begins to exist has a cause and therefore the universe has a cause. But how do we know that the universe began to exist? This premise forms the most important part of Craig’s contention, and he bolsters it by four arguments, the first two are driven from philosophy and the other two, which he prefers to name them “confirmations from sciences” are driven from sciences the first one evokes to big bang theory and the seconds to the second principle of thermodynamic which are respectively adopted from cosmology and physics.   In this essay we are going to survey Craig’s arguments and estimate their value and weight.

Craig and Kalam Cosmological Argument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gholamhosein Tavacoly

2011-09-01

Full Text Available   Among different arguments for the existence of God the Kalam cosmological argument is a very famous one which is elaborated by Professor William lane Craig. Craig claims that the universe began to exist , then he continues to say: everything that begins to exist has a cause and therefore the universe has a cause. But how do we know that the universe began to exist? This premise forms the most important part of Craig’s contention, and he bolsters it by four arguments, the first two are driven from philosophy and the other two, which he prefers to name them “confirmations from sciences” are driven from sciences the first one evokes to big bang theory and the seconds to the second principle of thermodynamic which are respectively adopted from cosmology and physics.   In this essay we are going to survey Craig’s arguments and estimate their value and weight.

Craig and Kalam Cosmological Argument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tavacoli, Gh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Among different arguments for the existence of God the Kalam cosmological argument is a very famous one which is elaborated by Professor William lane Craig. Craig claims that the universe began to exist, then he continues to say: everything that begins to exist has a cause and therefore the universe has a cause. But how do we know that the universe began to exist? This premise forms the most important part of Craig’s contention, and he bolsters it by four arguments, the first two are driven from philosophy and the other two, which he prefers to name them “confirmations from sciences” are driven from sciences; the first one evokes to big bang theory and the seconds to the second principle of thermodynamic which are respectively adopted from cosmology and physics.In this essay we are going to survey Craig’s arguments and estimate their value and weight.

Avoiding the secondary magnetic monopole problem in the inflation theories: The 75 of SU(5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, C.W.; Kim, J.E.; Kim, J.S.

1985-01-01

A class of inflation models suffer from the secondary monopole problem which cannot be diluted by inflation. Using the Coleman-Weinberg potential for the 75-dimensional representation of SU(5), we suggest a group theoretical way to avoid the problem. It is shown that the vacuum, when released from the origin, starts to evolve and roll down along the Sp(4) . U(1) direction. It is noticed that the 75 provides an option for the vacuum to roll down to the SU(3) . SU(2) . U(1) vacuum without causing the secondary cosmological monopole problem. (orig.)

Aspects of string phenomenology in particle physics and cosmology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoniadis I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available I discuss possible connections between several scales in particle physics and cosmology, such the the electroweak, inflation, dark energy and Planck scales. In particular, I discuss the physics of extra dimensions and low scale gravity that are motivated from the problem of mass hierarchy, providing an alternative to low energy supersymmetry. I describe their realization in type I string theory with D-branes and I present the main experimental predictions in particle accelerators and their implications in cosmology. I also show that low-mass-scale string compactifications, with a generic D-brane configuration that realizes the Standard Model by open strings, can explain the relatively broad peak in the diphoton invariant mass spectrum at 750 GeV recently reported by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations.

Loop Quantum Cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bojowald, Martin

2008-01-01

Quantum gravity is expected to be necessary in order to understand situations in which classical general relativity breaks down. In particular in cosmology one has to deal with initial singularities, i.e., the fact that the backward evolution of a classical spacetime inevitably comes to an end after a finite amount of proper time. This presents a breakdown of the classical picture and requires an extended theory for a meaningful description. Since small length scales and high curvatures are involved, quantum effects must play a role. Not only the singularity itself but also the surrounding spacetime is then modified. One particular theory is loop quantum cosmology, an application of loop quantum gravity to homogeneous systems, which removes classical singularities. Its implications can be studied at different levels. The main effects are introduced into effective classical equations, which allow one to avoid the interpretational problems of quantum theory. They give rise to new kinds of early-universe phenomenology with applications to inflation and cyclic models. To resolve classical singularities and to understand the structure of geometry around them, the quantum description is necessary. Classical evolution is then replaced by a difference equation for a wave function, which allows an extension of quantum spacetime beyond classical singularities. One main question is how these homogeneous scenarios are related to full loop quantum gravity, which can be dealt with at the level of distributional symmetric states. Finally, the new structure of spacetime arising in loop quantum gravity and its application to cosmology sheds light on more general issues, such as the nature of time. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-2008-4.

String Theory and Pre-big bang Cosmology

CERN Document Server

Gasperini, M.

In string theory, the traditional picture of a Universe that emerges from the inflation of a very small and highly curved space-time patch is a possibility, not a necessity: quite different initial conditions are possible, and not necessarily unlikely. In particular, the duality symmetries of string theory suggest scenarios in which the Universe starts inflating from an initial state characterized by very small curvature and interactions. Such a state, being gravitationally unstable, will evolve towards higher curvature and coupling, until string-size effects and loop corrections make the Universe "bounce" into a standard, decreasing-curvature regime. In such a context, the hot big bang of conventional cosmology is replaced by a "hot big bounce" in which the bouncing and heating mechanisms originate from the quantum production of particles in the high-curvature, large-coupling pre-bounce phase. Here we briefly summarize the main features of this inflationary scenario, proposed a quarter century ago. In its si...

f(T) teleparallel gravity and cosmology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yi-Fu; Capozziello, Salvatore; De Laurentis, Mariafelicia; Saridakis, Emmanuel N

2016-10-01

Over recent decades, the role of torsion in gravity has been extensively investigated along the main direction of bringing gravity closer to its gauge formulation and incorporating spin in a geometric description. Here we review various torsional constructions, from teleparallel, to Einstein-Cartan, and metric-affine gauge theories, resulting in extending torsional gravity in the paradigm of f (T) gravity, where f (T) is an arbitrary function of the torsion scalar. Based on this theory, we further review the corresponding cosmological and astrophysical applications. In particular, we study cosmological solutions arising from f (T) gravity, both at the background and perturbation levels, in different eras along the cosmic expansion. The f (T) gravity construction can provide a theoretical interpretation of the late-time universe acceleration, alternative to a cosmological constant, and it can easily accommodate with the regular thermal expanding history including the radiation and cold dark matter dominated phases. Furthermore, if one traces back to very early times, for a certain class of f (T) models, a sufficiently long period of inflation can be achieved and hence can be investigated by cosmic microwave background observations-or, alternatively, the Big Bang singularity can be avoided at even earlier moments due to the appearance of non-singular bounces. Various observational constraints, especially the bounds coming from the large-scale structure data in the case of f (T) cosmology, as well as the behavior of gravitational waves, are described in detail. Moreover, the spherically symmetric and black hole solutions of the theory are reviewed. Additionally, we discuss various extensions of the f (T) paradigm. Finally, we consider the relation with other modified gravitational theories, such as those based on curvature, like f (R) gravity, trying to illuminate the subject of which formulation, or combination of formulations, might be more suitable

Colliders as a simultaneous probe of supersymmetric dark matter and Terascale cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barenboim, Gabriela; /Valencia U.; Lykken, Joseph D.; /Fermilab

2006-08-01

Terascale supersymmetry has the potential to provide a natural explanation of the dominant dark matter component of the standard {Lambda}CDM cosmology. However once we impose the constraints on minimal supersymmetry parameters from current particle physics data, a satisfactory dark matter abundance is no longer prima facie natural. This Neutralino Tuning Problem could be a hint of nonstandard cosmology during and/or after the Terascale era. To quantify this possibility, we introduce an alternative cosmological benchmark based upon a simple model of quintessential inflation. This benchmark has no free parameters, so for a given supersymmetry model it allows an unambiguous prediction of the dark matter relic density. As a example, we scan over the parameter space of the CMSSM, comparing the neutralino relic density predictions with the bounds from WMAP. We find that the WMAP-allowed regions of the CMSSM are an order of magnitude larger if we use the alternative cosmological benchmark, as opposed to {Lambda}CDM. Initial results from the CERN Large Hadron Collider will distinguish between the two allowed regions.

Colliders as a simultaneous probe of supersymmetric dark matter and Terascale cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barenboim, Gabriela; Valencia U.; Lykken, Joseph D.; Fermilab

2006-01-01

Terascale supersymmetry has the potential to provide a natural explanation of the dominant dark matter component of the standard ΛCDM cosmology. However once we impose the constraints on minimal supersymmetry parameters from current particle physics data, a satisfactory dark matter abundance is no longer prima facie natural. This Neutralino Tuning Problem could be a hint of nonstandard cosmology during and/or after the Terascale era. To quantify this possibility, we introduce an alternative cosmological benchmark based upon a simple model of quintessential inflation. This benchmark has no free parameters, so for a given supersymmetry model it allows an unambiguous prediction of the dark matter relic density. As a example, we scan over the parameter space of the CMSSM, comparing the neutralino relic density predictions with the bounds from WMAP. We find that the WMAP-allowed regions of the CMSSM are an order of magnitude larger if we use the alternative cosmological benchmark, as opposed to ΛCDM. Initial results from the CERN Large Hadron Collider will distinguish between the two allowed regions

Colliders as a simultaneous probe of supersymmetric dark matter and Terascale cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barenboim, Gabriela [Departament de Fisica Teorica, Universitat de Valencia, Carrer Dr. Moliner 50, E-46100 Burjassot (Valencia) (Spain); Lykken, Joseph D. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States)

2006-12-15

Terascale supersymmetry has the potential to provide a natural explanation of the dominant dark matter component of the standard {lambda}CDM cosmology. However once we impose the constraints on minimal supersymmetry parameters from current particle physics data, a satisfactory dark matter abundance is no longer prima facie natural. This Neutralino Tuning Problem could be a hint of nonstandard cosmology during and/or after the Terascale era. To quantify this possibility, we introduce an alternative cosmological benchmark based upon a simple model of quintessential inflation. This benchmark has no free parameters, so for a given supersymmetry model it allows an unambiguous prediction of the dark matter relic density. As a example, we scan over the parameter space of the CMSSM, comparing the neutralino relic density predictions with the bounds from WMAP. We find that the WMAP-allowed regions of the CMSSM are an order of magnitude larger if we use the alternative cosmological benchmark, as opposed to {lambda}CDM. Initial results from the CERN Large Hadron Collider will distinguish between the two allowed regions.

How accurately can 21cm tomography constrain cosmology?

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yi; Tegmark, Max; McQuinn, Matthew; Zaldarriaga, Matias; Zahn, Oliver

2008-07-01

There is growing interest in using 3-dimensional neutral hydrogen mapping with the redshifted 21 cm line as a cosmological probe. However, its utility depends on many assumptions. To aid experimental planning and design, we quantify how the precision with which cosmological parameters can be measured depends on a broad range of assumptions, focusing on the 21 cm signal from 6noise, to uncertainties in the reionization history, and to the level of contamination from astrophysical foregrounds. We derive simple analytic estimates for how various assumptions affect an experiment’s sensitivity, and we find that the modeling of reionization is the most important, followed by the array layout. We present an accurate yet robust method for measuring cosmological parameters that exploits the fact that the ionization power spectra are rather smooth functions that can be accurately fit by 7 phenomenological parameters. We find that for future experiments, marginalizing over these nuisance parameters may provide constraints almost as tight on the cosmology as if 21 cm tomography measured the matter power spectrum directly. A future square kilometer array optimized for 21 cm tomography could improve the sensitivity to spatial curvature and neutrino masses by up to 2 orders of magnitude, to ΔΩk≈0.0002 and Δmν≈0.007eV, and give a 4σ detection of the spectral index running predicted by the simplest inflation models.

Cosmology and Particle Physics beyond Standard Models Ten Years of the SEENET-MTP Network

CERN Document Server

Álvarez-Gaumé, Luis; Stojkovic, Dejan

2014-01-01

This publication - "Cosmology and Particle Physics beyond Standard Models" - is dedicated to the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Southeastern European Network in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics (SEENET-MTP). As a Theme Collection, rather than a Monograph or Proceedings, this volume presents a number of reports and overviews, a few research papers and a short note. However, some of them are excellent examples of a nowadays increasingly deep interplay between particle physics and cosmology. Contributions span a wide range of topics in cosmology, particle physics, but also gravity, including the interface of these fields. The presented work is of both theoretical and experimental/ observational nature. The contributions represent recent progress in their respective fields: inflation, dark matter, neutrino physics, supersymmetry, collider physics, string theory, quantum gravity, black hole physics and massive gravity.

Note on inflation with a tachyon rolling on the Gauss-Bonnet brane