English

Gravity Waves from Quantum Stress Tensor Fluctuations in Inflation

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2011-12-08 v1 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We consider the effects of the quantum stress tensor fluctuations of a conformal field in generating gravity waves in inflationary models. We find a non-scale invariant, non-Gaussian contribution which depends upon the total expansion factor between an initial time and the end of inflation. This spectrum of gravity wave perturbations is an illustration of a negative power spectrum, which is possible in quantum field theory. We discuss possible choices for the initial conditions. If the initial time is taken to be sufficiently early, the fluctuating gravity waves are potentially observable both in the CMB radiation and in gravity wave detectors, and could offer a probe of transplanckian physics. The fact that they have not yet been observed might be used to constrain the duration and energy scale of inflation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1105.1155,
  title  = {Gravity Waves from Quantum Stress Tensor Fluctuations in Inflation},
  author = {Chun-Hsien Wu and Jen-Tsung Hsiang and L. H. Ford and Kin-Wang Ng},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1105.1155},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

17 -pages, no figures

R2 v1 2026-06-21T18:03:28.761Z