We compute one-loop corrections to the power spectrum of the curvature perturbation in single-field slow-roll inflation arising from gravitons and inflaton interactions. The quantum corrections due to gravitons to the power spectrum of the inflaton field are computed around the time of horizon crossing and their effect on the curvature perturbation is obtained on superhorizon scales through the delta-N formalism. We point out that one-loop corrections from the tensor modes are of the same magnitude as those coming from scalar self-interactions, therefore they cannot be neglected in a self-consistent calculation.
The energy spectra of gravitational waves (GW) produced in quintessential inflationary models increase in frequency and exhibit a sharp spike around 170 GHz where the associated fraction of critical energy density today stored in relic gravitons is of the order of $10^{-6}$. We contrast our findings with the spectra of ordinary inflationary models and we comment about possible detetction strategies of the spike.
We compute the connected four-point correlation function of the primordial curvature perturbation generated during inflation with standard kinetic terms, where the correlation is established via exchange of a graviton between two pairs of scalar fluctuations. Any such correlation yields a contribution to the scalar trispectrum of the order of the tensor to scalar ratio r. This contribution is numerically one order of magnitude larger than the one previously calculated on the basis of scalar perturbations interacting at a point and satisfies a simple relation in the limit where the momentum of …
We investigate in some quantitative details the viability of reheating in multi-throat brane inflationary scenarios by estimating and comparing the time scales for the various processes involved. We also calculate within perturbative string theory the decay rate of excited closed strings into KK modes and compare with that of their decay into gravitons; we find that in the inflationary throat the former is preferred. We also find that over a small but reasonable range of parameters of the background geometry, these KK modes will preferably tunnel to another throat (possibly containing the Stan…
We consider the stimulated emission of gravitons from an initial state of thermal equilibrium, under the action of the cosmic gravitational background field. We find that the low-energy graviton spectrum is enhanced if compared with spontaneous creation from the vacuum; as a consequence, the scale of inflation must be lowered, in order not to exceed the observed CMB quadrupole anisotropy. This effect is particularly important for models based on a symmetry-breaking transition which require, as initial condition, a state of thermal equilibrium at temperatures of the order of the inflation scale…
We investigate the generation of primordial gravitational waves from inflation in braneworld cosmologies with extra dimensions. Advantage of using primordial gravitational waves to probe extra dimensions is that their theory depends only on the geometry, not on the microscopic models of inflation and stabilization. D(D-3)/2 degrees of freedom of the free bulk gravitons are projected onto the 3d brane as tensor, vector and scalar modes. We found the following no-go results for a generic geometry of a five (or D) dimensional warped metric with four dimensional de Sitter (inflationary) slices and…
We discuss the cosmological amplification of tensor perturbations in a simple example of brane-world scenario, in which massless gravitons are localized on a higher-dimensional Kasner-like brane embedded in a bulk AdS background. Particular attention is paid to the canonical normalization of the quadratic action describing the massless and massive vacuum quantum fluctuations, and to the exact mass-dependence of the amplitude of massive fluctuations on the brane. The perturbation equations can be separated. In contrast to de Sitter models of brane inflation, we find no mass gap in the spectrum …
In higher-curvature inflation models ($R+α_n R^n$), we study a parametric preheating of a scalar field $χ$ coupled non-minimally to a spacetime curvature $R$ ($ξR χ^2$). In the case of $R^2$-inflation model, efficient preheating becomes possible for rather small values of $ξ$, i.e. $|ξ|< several. Although the maximal fluctuation $\sqrt{< χ^2 >}_{max} \approx 2 \times10^{17}$ GeV for $ξ\approx -4$ is almost the same as the chaotic inflation model with a non-minimally coupled $χ$ field, the growth rate of the fluctuation becomes much larger and efficient preheating is realized. We also investiga…
There are many inflationary models in which inflaton field does not satisfy the slow-roll condition. However, in such models, it is always difficult to generate the curvature perturbation during inflation. Thus, to generate the curvature perturbation, one must introduce another component to the theory. To cite a case, curvatons may generate dominant part of the curvature perturbation after inflation. However, we have a question whether it is unrealistic to consider the generation of the curvature perturbation during inflation without slow-roll. Assuming multi-field inflation, we encounter the …
The dominant contribution to the primordial curvature perturbation may be generated at the end of inflation. Taking the end of inflation to be sudden, formulas are presented for the spectrum, spectral tilt and non-gaussianity. They are evaluated for a minimal extension of the original hybrid inflation model.
We study cosmological perturbations in two-field inflation, allowing for non-standard kinetic terms. We calculate analytically the spectra of curvature and isocurvature modes at Hubble crossing, up to first order in the slow-roll parameters. We also compute numerically the evolution of the curvature and isocurvature modes from well within the Hubble radius until the end of inflation. We show explicitly for a few examples, including the recently proposed model of `roulette' inflation, how isocurvature perturbations affect significantly the curvature perturbation between Hubble crossing and the …
If inflation was preceded by a radiation era then at the time of inflation there will exist a decoupled thermal distribution of gravitons. Gravitational waves generated during inflation will be amplified by the process of stimulated emission into the existing thermal distribution of gravitons. Consequently the usual zero temperature scale invariant tensor spectrum is modified by a temperature dependent factor. This thermal correction factor amplify the $B$-mode polarization of the CMB by an order of magnitude at large angles, which may now be in the range of observability of WMAP.
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 con…
Using the nonlinear $δN$ formalism, we consider a simple exactly soluble model of multi-component slow-roll inflation in which the nonlinear curvature perturbation can be evaluated analytically.
The scale--independence of the primordial curvature perturbation suggests that it comes from the vacuum fluctuation during inflation of a light scalar field. This field may be the inflaton, or a different `curvaton' field. The observation of primordial non--gaussianity would be a smoking gun for the curvaton model, while the observation of gravitational waves originating during slow--roll inflation would rule out the model.
The modified gravity, which eliminates the need for dark energy and which seems to be stable, is considered. The terms with positive powers of the curvature support the inflationary epoch while the terms with negative powers of the curvature serve as effective dark energy, supporting current cosmic acceleration. The equivalent scalar-tensor gravity may be compatible with the simplest solar system experiments.
Curvature perturbations generated after the end of inflation are estimated for a generic multi-field inflationary potential. The curvature perturbations are generated by conversion of inflationary isocurvature perturbations, similar to curvaton and inhomogeneous reheating scenarios. During inflation, the trajectory along which the fields are rolling down will fluctuate. When inflation ends, the fields enter the oscillatory phase along different directions in different parts of the universe. Different oscillatory trajectories can have different effective equations of state and reheating rates, …
We study higher curvature corrections to the scalar spectral index, the tensor spectral index, the tensor-to-scalar ratio, and the polarization of gravitational waves. We find that the higher curvature corrections can not be negligible in the dynamics of the scalar field, although they are energetically negligible. Indeed, it turns out that the tensor-to-scalar ratio could be enhanced and the tensor spectral index could be blue due to the Gauss-Bonnet term. We estimate the degree of circular polarization of gravitational waves generated during the slow-roll inflation. We argue that the circula…
We calculate the spectrum of gravitational waves generated during inflation in open $(Ω_0<1)$ inflationary models. In such models an initial epoch of old inflation solves the horizon and flatness problems, and during this first epoch of inflation the quantum state of the graviton field rapidly approaches the Bunch-Davies vacuum. Then old inflation ends by the nucleation of a single bubble, inside of which there is a shortened epoch of slow-roll inflation giving $Ω_0<1$ today. In this paper we re-express the Bunch-Davies vacuum for the graviton field in terms of the hyperbolic modes inside the …
We calculate the power spectra of primordial curvature and isocurvature perturbations from a general two field inflation model at next-to-leading order correction in a slow-roll expansion. In particular we calculate the spectral indices to second order in slow-roll parameters. We show that the cross-correlation of the curvature and isocurvature perturbations at the time of Hubble-exit during inflation is non-zero at first-order in slow-roll parameters. We apply our results to different classes of inflation, including inflaton and curvaton scenarios. The spectrum of primordial gravitational wav…
This paper evaluates and compares the gravitational wave and density perturbation contributions to the cosmic microwave background radiation, on the basis of the same power law inflationary model. The inflation to radiation transition is treated as instantaneous, but a model is constructed to allow for a smooth transition from the radiation to the matter dominated eras. The equations are numerically investigated and integrated, without any basic approximations being made. Use is made of the synchronous gauge, with appropriate gauge invariant variables, thus eliminating any confusion arising fr…
We consider a two-field hybrid inflation model, in which the curvature perturbation is predominantly generated at the end of inflation. By finely tuning the coupling of the fields to the waterfall we find that we can get a measurable amount of non-gaussianity.
We show that there exists a simple mechanism which can enhance the amplitude of curvature perturbations on superhorizon scales during inflation, relative to their amplitude at horizon crossing. The enhancement may occur even in a single-field inflaton model, and occurs if the quantity $a\dotϕ/H$ becomes sufficiently small, as compared to its value at horizon crossing, for some time interval during inflation. We give a criterion for this enhancement in general single-field inflation models.
In brane inflationary scenarios, the cosmological perturbations are supposed to originate from the vacuum fluctuations of the inflaton field corresponding to the position of the brane. We show that a significant, and possibly dominant, contribution to the curvature perturbation is generated at the end of inflation through the vacuum fluctuations of fields, other than the inflaton, which are light during the inflationary trajectory and become heavy at the brane-anti brane annihilation. These fields appear generically in string compactifications where the background geometry has exact or approxi…
