We compute the model-independent contributions to the primordial bispectrum and trispectrum in de Sitter space due to high-energy physics. We do this by coupling a light inflaton to an auxiliary heavy field, and then evaluating correlation functions in the Schwinger-Keldysh "in-in" formalism. The high-energy physics produces corrections parametrized by $H/M$ where $H$ is the scale of inflation and $M$ is the mass of the heavy field. The bispectrum peaks near the elongated shape, but otherwise contains no features. The trispectrum receives no corrections at order $H/M$.
We show that modifications of Einstein gravity during inflation could leave potentially measurable imprints on cosmological observables in the form of non-Gaussian perturbations. This is due to the fact that these modifications appear in the form of an extra field that could have non-trivial interactions with the inflaton. We show it explicitly for the case $R+αR^2$, where nearly scale-invariant non-Gaussianity at the level of $f_{\rm NL} \approx -(1$ to $30)$ can be obtained, in a quasi-local configuration.
We apply the time-renormalization group approach to study the effect of primordial non-Gaussianities in the non-linear evolution of cosmological dark matter density perturbations. This method improves the standard perturbation approach by solving renormalization group-like equations governing the dynamics of gravitational instability. The primordial bispectra constructed from the dark matter density contrast and the velocity fields represent initial conditions for the renormalization group flow. We consider local, equilateral and folded shapes for the initial non-Gaussianity and analyze as wel…
We investigate the non-Gaussian signatures of ultra slow-roll inflation. The bispectrum and the trispectrum are calculated with general initial conditions. The trispectrum is of local shape, as in the case of the bispectrum. We show that the prediction of local non-Gaussianity is robust again generalizing the Bunch-Davies vacuum. The Suyama-Yamaguchi relation is saturated in this scenario.
We analyze the signatures of inflationary models that are coupled to strongly interacting field theories, a basic class of multifield models also motivated by their role in providing dynamically small scales. Near the squeezed limit of the bispectrum, we find a simple scaling behavior determined by operator dimensions, which are constrained by the appropriate unitarity bounds. Specifically, we analyze two simple and calculable classes of examples: conformal field theories (CFTs), and large-N CFTs deformed by relevant time-dependent double-trace operators. Together these two classes of examples…
We discuss implications of Planck results for models with local type non-Gaussianity. In light of the recent results of the Planck satellite, we constrain model parameters of several representative models and give the prediction of trispectrum, in particular, gNL. We also consider interesting possibilities that trispectrum appears as the first signature of the non-Gaussianities of the curvature perturbations, that is, fNL is small while gNL can be significantly large.
Non-gaussianity in the microwave background radiation is bound to play a key role in giving us clues about the physics of the very early universe. However, the associated calculations, at second and even third order in perturbation theory, tend to be complicated to the point of obscuring simple underlying physical processes. In this note, we present a simple analytic procedure for approximating the non-linearity parameters f_{NL} and g_{NL} for cyclic models in which the cosmological perturbations are generated via the entropic mechanism. Our approach is quick, physically transparent and agree…
We compute the bi-spectrum of CMB temperature fluctuations for a state where the metric perturbation $ζ$ is entangled with a spectator scalar field $χ$. Novel terms in the cubic $ζ$ action coupled to the scalar can be the dominant contribution to the bi-spectrum for such states and we highlight the differences between this result and the no-entanglement bi-spectrum. New shapes can be important in the bi-spectra leading to distinctive observational signatures.
A nonsingular bouncing cosmology in which the scales of interest today exit the Hubble radius in a matter-dominated contracting phase yields an alternative to inflation for producing a scale-invariant spectrum of adiabatic cosmological fluctuations. In this paper we identify signatures in the non-Gaussianities of the fluctuations which are specific to this scenario and allow it to be distinguished from the results of inflationary models.
Heavy fields of Hubble scale order present during inflation contribute to the non-Gaussian signature for the three-point function of the inflaton. Taking into account that Hubble scale is around the scale of grand unified theory (GUT), this opens a possibility that the GUT scale signatures, which are very hard to be discovered at collider, might be detectable by using information from the precise observations of cosmic microwave background. We discuss a detactability of the $X, Y$ gauge boson present in any GUT in a framework of cosmological collider physics. Calculating one-loop contributions…
Inflation without an Inflaton III: non-Gaussian signatures
Scuola Superiore Meridionale（南方高等学院）；INFN, Sezione di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所那不勒斯分部）；Cairo University（开罗大学）；ICC, University of Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学天文研究中心）；ICREA（加泰罗尼亚高级研究学院）；Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Galileo Galilei, Università degli Studi di Padova（帕多瓦大学伽利略·伽利莱物理与天文学系）；INFN, Sezione di Padova（意大利国家核物理研究所帕多瓦分部）；INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova（意大利国家天体物理研究所帕多瓦天文台）；Gran Sasso Science Institute（格兰萨索科学研究所）；Università di Pisa（比萨大学）
We develop a formalism to study non-Gaussianity in both curvature and isocurvature perturbations. It is shown that non-Gaussianity in the isocurvature perturbation between dark matter and photons leaves distinct signatures in the CMB temperature fluctuations, which may be confirmed in future experiments, or possibly, even in the currently available observational data. As an explicit example, we consider the QCD axion and show that it can actually induce sizable non-Gaussianity for the inflationary scale, H_{inf} = O(10^9 - 10^{11})GeV.
We analyze the shape and amplitude of oscillatory features in the primordial power spectrum and non-Gaussianity induced by periodic production of heavy degrees of freedom coupled to the inflaton $ϕ$. We find that non-adiabatic production of particles can contribute effects which are detectable or constrainable using cosmological data even if their time-dependent masses are always heavier than the scale $\dot ϕ^{1/2}$, much larger than the Hubble scale. This provides a new role for UV completion, consistent with the criteria from effective field theory for when heavy fields cannot be integrated…
Any hint of non-gaussianity in the cosmological initial conditions will provide us with a unique window into the physics of early universe. We show that the impact of a small local primordial non-gaussianity (generated on super-horizon scales) on the statistics of collapsed objects (such as galaxies or clusters) can be approximated by using slightly modified, but gaussian, initial conditions, which we describe through simple analytic expressions. Given that numerical simulations with gaussian initial conditions are relatively well-studied, this equivalence provides us with a simple tool to pre…
Sphaleron heating has been recently proposed as a mechanism to realize warm inflation when inflaton is an axion coupled to pure Yang-Mills. As a result of heating, there is a friction coefficient $γ\propto T^3$ in the equation of motion for the inflaton, and a thermal contribution to cosmological fluctuations. Without the knowledge of the inflaton potential, non-Gaussianity is the most promising way of searching for the signatures of this model. Building on an earlier work by Bastero-Gil, Berera, Moss and Ramos, we compute the scalar three-point correlation function and point out some distinct…
We examine the effective theory of single-field inflation in the limit where the scalar perturbations propagate with a small speed of sound. In this case the non-linearly realized time-translation symmetry of the Lagrangian implies large interactions, giving rise to primordial non-Gaussianities. When the non-Gaussianities are measurable, these interactions will become strongly coupled unless new physics appears close to the Hubble scale. Due to its proximity to the Hubble scale, the new physics is not necessarily decoupled from inflationary observables and can potentially affect the prediction…
Light scalars may be ubiquitous in nature, and their quantum fluctuations can produce large non-Gaussianity in the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropy. The non-Gaussianity may be accompanied with a small admixture of isocurvature perturbations, which often have correlations with the curvature perturbations. We present a general method to calculate the non-Gaussianity in the adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations with and without correlations, and see how it works in several explicit examples. We also show that they leave distinct signatures on the bispectrum of the cosmic micr…
Given the fantastic experimental effort, it is important to thoroughly explore the signature space of inflationary models. The fact that higher derivative operators do not renormalize lower derivative ones allows us to find a large class of technically natural single-clock inflationary models where, in the context of the Effective Field Theory of Inflation, the leading interactions have many derivatives. We systematically explore the 3-point function induced by these models and their overlap with the standard equilateral and orthogonal templates. We find that in order to satisfactorily cover t…
We investigate non-Gaussianity in general single field models without assuming slow-roll conditions or the exact scale-invariance of the scalar power spectrum. The models considered include general single field inflation (e.g. DBI and canonical inflation) as well as bimetric models. We compute the full non-Gaussian amplitude, its size fnl, its shape, and the running with scale n_{NG}. In doing so we show that observational constraints allow significant violations of slow roll conditions and we derive explicit bounds on slow-roll parameters for fast-roll single field scenarios. A variety of new…
Next-generation galaxy surveys will increasingly rely on the galaxy bispectrum to improve cosmological constraints, especially on primordial non-Gaussianity. A key theoretical requirement that remains to be developed is the analysis of general relativistic effects on the bispectrum, which arise from observing galaxies on the past lightcone, {as well as from relativistic corrections to the dynamics}. {As an initial step towards a fully relativistic analysis of the galaxy bispectrum, we compute for the first time the local relativistic lightcone effects on the bispectrum,} which come from Dopple…
We provide analytic solutions for the power spectrum and bispectrum of curvature fluctuations produced by a step feature in the inflaton potential, valid in the limit that the step is short and sharp. In this limit, the bispectrum is strongly scale dependent and its effective non-linearity attains a large oscillatory amplitude. The perturbations to the curvature power spectrum, on the other hand, remain a small component on top of the usual spectrum of fluctuations generated by slow roll. We utilize our analytic solutions to assess the observability of the predicted non-Gaussian signatures and…
A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is essential not only to test alternative models of the physics of the early universe but also to discriminate among classes of inflationary models. Given this far reaching consequences of such a non-Gaussianity detection for our understanding of the physics of the early universe, it is important to employ alternative indicators in order to have further information about the Gaussianity features of CMB that may be helpful for identifying their origins. In this way, a considerable effort has recently gone into the design …
Violation of parity symmetry in the gravitational sector, which manifests into unequal left and right circular polarization states of primordial gravitational waves, represents a way to test high-energy modifications to general relativity. In this paper we study inflation within recently proposed chiral scalar-tensor theories of gravity, that extend Chern-Simons gravity by including parity-violating operators containing first and second derivatives of the non-minimally coupled scalar (inflaton) field. Given the degeneracy between different parity-violating theories at the level of the power sp…
We calculate the scale dependence of the bispectrum and trispectrum in (quasi) local models of non-Gaussian primordial density perturbations, and characterize this scale dependence in terms of new observable parameters. They can help to discriminate between models of inflation, since they are sensitive to properties of the inflationary physics that are not probed by the standard observables. We find consistency relations between these parameters in certain classes of models. We apply our results to a scenario of modulated reheating, showing that the scale dependence of non-Gaussianity can be s…
We discuss two possible scenarios, namely the curvaton mechanism and the dark matter density modulation, where non-Gaussianity signals of superheavy dark matter produced by gravity can be enhanced and observed. In both scenarios, superheavy dark matter couples to an additional light field as a mediator. In the case of derivative coupling, the resulting non-Gaussianities induced by the light field can be large, which can provide inflationary evidences for these superheavy dark matter scenarios.
We discuss the possibility that we could obtain some hints of the heavy physics during inflation by analyzing local features of the primordial bispectrum. A heavy scalar field could leave large signatures in the primordial spectra through the parametric resonance between its background oscillation and the fluctuations. Since the duration of the heavy-mode oscillations is finite, the effect of the resonance is localized in momentum space. In this paper, we show that the bispectrum is amplified when such a resonance occurs, and that the peak amplitude of the feature can be O(10^{1-2}), or as lar…
We study cosmological tensor perturbations induced by second-order scalar perturbations in the presence of anisotropic non-Gaussianity. This class of induced tensor modes arises on superhorizon scales through the intrinsic quadrupole coupling between long modes and short modes. Scalar perturbations on all scales from the inflationary Hubble radius to the Silk damping scale at recombination contribute to the induced tensor powerspectrum at the cosmic microwave background (CMB) scale. In addition, the induced tensor spectrum becomes almost scale-invariant. The former property suggests that measu…
Deviations from the Bunch-Davies vacuum during an inflationary period can leave a testable imprint on the higher-order correlations of the CMB and large scale structures in the Universe. The effect is particularly pronounced if the statistical non-Gaussianity is inherently large, such as in models of inflation with a small speed of sound, e.g. DBI. First reviewing the motivations for a modified vacuum, we calculate the non-Gaussianity for a general action with a small speed of sound. The shape of its bispectrum is found to most resemble the 'orthogonal' or 'local' templates depending on the ph…
We perform a general study of primordial scalar non-Gaussianities in single field inflationary models in Einstein gravity. We consider models where the inflaton Lagrangian is an arbitrary function of the scalar field and its first derivative, and the sound speed is arbitrary. We find that under reasonable assumptions, the non-Gaussianity is completely determined by 5 parameters. In special limits of the parameter space, one finds distinctive ``shapes'' of the non-Gaussianity. In models with a small sound speed, several of these shapes would become potentially observable in the near future. Dif…
Models of inflation based on axions, which owe their popularity to the robustness against UV corrections, have also a very distinct class of signatures. The relevant interactions of the axion are a non-perturbative oscillating contribution to the potential and a shift-symmetric coupling to gauge fields. We review how these couplings affect the cosmological perturbations via a unified study based on the in-in formalism. We then note that, when the inflaton coupling to gauge fields is high enough to lead to interesting observational results, the backreaction of the produced gauge quanta on the i…
We propose a method to probe higher-order correlators of the primordial density field through the inhomogeneity of local non-Gaussian parameters, such as f_NL, measured within smaller patches of the sky. Correlators between n-point functions measured in one patch of the sky and k-point functions measured in another patch depend upon the (n+k)-point functions over the entire sky. The inhomogeneity of non-Gaussian parameters may be a feasible way to detect or constrain higher-order correlators in local models of non-Gaussianity, as well as to distinguish between single and multiple-source scenar…
A convincing detection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the cosmic background radiation (CMB) is essential to probe the physics of the early universe. Since a single statistical estimator can hardly be suitable to detect the various possible forms of non-Gaussianity, it is important to employ different statistical indicators to study non-Gaussianity of CMB. This has motivated the proposal of a number statistical tools, including two large-angle indicators based on skewness and kurtosis of spherical caps of CMB sky-sphere. Although suitable to detect fairly large non-Gaussianity they are unable…
We calculate the bispectrum of the gravitational field fluctuations generated during warm inflation, where dissipation of the vacuum potential during inflation is the mechanism for structure formation. The bispectrum is non--zero because of the self--interaction of the scalar field. We compare the predictions with those of standard, or `supercooled', inflationary models, and consider the detectability of these levels of non--Gaussianity in the bispectrum of the cosmic microwave background. We find that the levels of non--Gaussianity for warm and supercooled inflation are comparable, and over--…
The presence of additional particles during inflation leads to non-Gaussianity in late-time correlators of primordial curvature perturbations. The shape and amplitude of this signal depend on the mass and spin of the extra particles. Constraints on this distinct form of primordial non-Gaussianity, therefore, provide a wealth of information on the particle content during inflation. We investigate the potential of upcoming galaxy surveys in constraining such a signature through its impact on the observed galaxy power spectrum. Primordial non-Gaussianity of various shapes induces a scale-dependen…
We investigate multi-field signatures of the nonminimally coupled supersymmetric Higgs inflation-type cosmological scenario, focusing on the two-field Higgs-lepton inflation model as a concrete example. This type of inflationary model is realized in a theory beyond the Standard Model embedded in supergravity with a noncanonical Kähler potential. We employ the backward $δN$ formalism to compute cosmological observables, including the scalar and tensor power spectra, the spectral indices, the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the local-type nonlinearity parameter. The trajectory of the inflaton is cont…
Extending the Cosmological Collider: New Scaling Regimes and Constraints from BOSS
University of California San Diego（加州大学圣地亚哥分校）；Stockholm University（斯德哥尔摩大学）；KTH Royal Institute of Technology（皇家理工学院）；The University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）
We calculate the bispectrum of single-field braneworld inflation, triggered by either an ordinary scalar field or a cosmological tachyon, by means of a gradient expansion of large-scale non-linear perturbations coupled to stochastic dynamics. The resulting effect is identical to that for single-field 4D standard inflation, the non-linearity parameter being proportional to the scalar spectral index in the limit of collapsing momentum. If the slow-roll approximation is assumed, braneworld and tachyon non-Gaussianities are subdominant with respect to the post-inflationary contribution. However, b…
The statistical properties of the temperature anisotropies and polarization of the of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation offer a powerful probe of the physics of the early universe. In recent works a statistical procedure based upon the calculation of the kurtosis and skewness of the data in patches of CMB sky-sphere has been proposed and used to investigate the large-angle deviation from Gaussianity in WMAP maps. Here we briefly address the question as to how this analysis of Gaussianity is modified if the foreground-cleaned Planck maps are considered. We show that although the foreg…
Primordial non-Gaussianity encodes valuable information about the physics of inflation, including the spectrum of particles and interactions. Significant improvements in our understanding of non-Gaussanity beyond Planck require information from large-scale structure. The most promising approach to utilize this information comes from the scale-dependent bias of halos. For local non-Gaussanity, the improvements available are well studied but the potential for non-Gaussianity beyond the local type, including equilateral and quasi-single field inflation, is much less well understood. In this paper…
We use the techniques of effective field theory in an expanding universe to examine the effect of choosing an excited inflationary initial state built over the Bunch-Davies state on the CMB bi-spectrum. We find that even for Hadamard states, there are unexpected enhancements in the bi-spectrum for certain configurations in momentum space due to interactions of modes in the early stages of inflation. These enhancements can be parametrically larger than the standard ones and are potentially observable in current and future data. These initial state effects have a characteristic signature in $l$-…
Cosmological Collider Physics gives us the opportunity to probe high-energy physics from observing the spacetime fluctuations generated during inflation imprinted on the cosmic microwave background. In other words, it is a method to investigate physics on energy scales that cannot be reached by terrestrial accelerators by means of precise observations of the universe. In this paper, we focus on the case where the GUT scale is close to the energy scale of inflation, and calculate three point function of inflaton by exchanging the Higgs boson in GUT at tree level. The results are found to be con…
Ultra slow-roll inflation has recently been used to challenge the non-Gaussianity consistency relation. We show that this inflationary scenario belongs to a one parameter class of models and we study its properties and observational predictions. We demonstrate that the power spectrum remains scale-invariant and that the bi-spectrum is of the local type with fnl=5(3-ns)/4 which, indeed, represents a modification of the consistency relation. However, we also show that the system is unstable and suffers from many physical problems among which is the difficulty to correctly WMAP normalize the mode…
We carry out a comprehensive analysis of the possible constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters achievable with measurements of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) power spectrum from upcoming full-sky CMB observations, with a particular focus on one-parameter extensions to the LCDM standard model involving local primordial non-Gaussianity (described by fNL) and massive neutrinos (described by Mnu). We include all of the relevant physical effects due to these additional parameters, including the change to the halo mass function and the scale-dependent halo bias induced by local…
[Abridged]: A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity by using the CMB data is crucial not only to discriminate inflationary models but also to test alternative scenarios. Non-Gaussianity offers, therefore, a powerful probe of the physics of the primordial universe. The extraction of primordial non-Gaussianity is a difficult enterprise since several effects of non-primordial nature can produce non-Gaussianity. Most of the Gaussianity analyses of CMB data have been performed by using part-sky frequency, where masks are used to deal with the galactic diffuse foreground emission. …
Non-Gaussianity in the inflationary perturbations can couple observable scales to modes of much longer wavelength (even superhorizon), leaving as a signature a large-angle modulation of the observed cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum. This provides an alternative origin for a power asymmetry which is otherwise often ascribed to a breaking of statistical isotropy. The non-Gaussian modulation effect can be significant even for typical ~10^{-5} perturbations, while respecting current constraints on non-Gaussianity, if the squeezed limit of the bispectrum is sufficiently infrared div…
Although Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure probe the largest scales of our universe with ever increasing precision, our knowledge about the smaller scales is still very limited other than the bounds on Primordial Black Holes. We show that the statistical properties of the small scale quantum fluctuations can be probed via the stochastic gravitational wave background, which is induced as the scalar modes re-enter the horizon. We found that even if scalar curvature fluctuations have a subdominant non-Gaussian component, these non-Gaussian perturbations can source a dominant p…
Canonical models of single-field, slow-roll inflation do not lead to appreciable non-Gaussianity, unless derivative interactions of the inflaton become uncontrollably large. We propose a novel slow-roll scenario where scalar perturbations propagate at a subluminal speed, leading to sizeable equilateral non-Gaussianity, $f^{\rm equil}_{\rm NL}\propto 1/c_s^4$, largely insensitive to the ultraviolet physics. The model is based on a low-energy effective theory characterized by weakly broken invariance under internal galileon transformations, $ϕ\toϕ+b_μx^μ$, which protects the properties of pertur…
We develop an analysis pipeline for characterizing the topology of large scale structure and extracting cosmological constraints based on persistent homology. Persistent homology is a technique from topological data analysis that quantifies the multiscale topology of a data set, in our context unifying the contributions of clusters, filament loops, and cosmic voids to cosmological constraints. We describe how this method captures the imprint of primordial local non-Gaussianity on the late-time distribution of dark matter halos, using a set of N-body simulations as a proxy for real data analysi…
We extend the matter bounce scenario to a more general theory in which the background dynamics and cosmological perturbations are generated by a $k$-essence scalar field with an arbitrary sound speed. When the sound speed is small, the curvature perturbation is enhanced, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, which is excessively large in the original model, can be sufficiently suppressed to be consistent with observational bounds. Then, we study the primordial three-point correlation function generated during the matter-dominated contraction stage and find that it only depends on the sound speed par…
We consider the possibility of extra spinning particles during inflation, focussing on the spin-2 case. Our analysis relies on the well-known fully non-linear formulation of interacting spin-2 theories. We explore the parameter space of the corresponding inflationary Lagrangian and identify regions therein exhibiting signatures within reach of upcoming CMB probes. We provide a thorough study of the early and late-time dynamics ensuring that stability conditions are met throughout the cosmic evolution. We characterise in particular the gravitational wave spectrum and three-point function findin…
We study the primordial non-Gaussinity predicted from simple models of inflation with a linear potential and superimposed oscillations. This generic form of the potential is predicted by the axion monodromy inflation model, that has recently been proposed as a possible realization of chaotic inflation in string theory, where the monodromy from wrapped branes extends the range of the closed string axions to beyond the Planck scale. The superimposed oscillations in the potential can lead to new signatures in the CMB spectrum and bispectrum. In particular the bispectrum will have a new distinct s…
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 provi…
There have been long debates about the initial condition of inflationary perturbations. In this work we explicitly show the decay of excited states during inflation via interactions. For this purpose, we note that the folded shape non-Gaussianity can be interpreted as the decay of the non-Bunch-Davies initial condition. The one loop diagrams with non-Bunch-Davies propagators are calculated to uncover the decay of such excited states. The observed smallness of non-Gaussianity keeps the window open for probing inflationary initial conditions and trans-Planckian physics.
We investigate density perturbations sourced by a curvaton with a generic energy potential. The key feature of a curvaton potential which deviates from a quadratic is that the curvaton experiences a non-uniform onset of its oscillation. This sources additional contributions to the resulting density perturbations, and we especially find that the non-Gaussianity parameter f_NL can become large with either sign no matter whether the curvaton dominates or subdominates the universe when it decays. Such non-quadratic curvaton potentials are required in order to produce a red-tilted density perturbat…
When inflationary perturbations refuse to classicalise: the role of non-Gaussianity in Wigner negativity
Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford University（莱因韦伯理论物理研究所，斯坦福大学）；Laboratoire de Physique de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, CNRS, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité（巴黎高等师范学院物理实验室，ENS，法国国家科学研究中心，PSL大学，索邦大学，巴黎西岱大学）
In any realistic particle physics model of inflation, the inflaton can be expected to couple to other fields. We consider a model with a dilaton-like coupling between a U(1) gauge field and a scalar inflaton. We show that this coupling can result in observable non-gaussianity, even in the conventional regime where inflation is supported by a single scalar slowly rolling on a smooth potential: the time dependent inflaton condensate leads to amplification of the large-scale gauge field fluctuations, which can feed-back into the scalar/tensor cosmological perturbations. In the squeezed limit, the…
