English

Review of local non-Gaussianity from multi-field inflation

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics 2015-03-13 v2 High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We review models which generate a large non-Gaussianity of the local form. We first briefly consider three models which generate the non-Gaussianity either at or after the end of inflation; the curvaton scenario, modulated (p)reheating and an inhomogeneous end of inflation. We then focus on ways of generating the non-Gaussianity during inflation. We derive general conditions which a product or sum separable potential must satisfy in order to generate a large local bispectrum during slow-roll inflation. As an application we consider two-field hybrid inflation. We then derive a formalism not based on slow roll which can be applied to models in which the slow-roll parameters become large before inflation ends. An exactly soluble two-field model is given in which this happens. Finally we also consider further non-Gaussian observables; a scale dependence of f_NL and the trispectrum.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1002.3110,
  title  = {Review of local non-Gaussianity from multi-field inflation},
  author = {Christian T. Byrnes and Ki-Young Choi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.3110},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

22 pages, 2 figures. Invited review for the special issue "Testing the Gaussianity and Statistical Isotropy of the Universe" for Advances in Astronomy. v2: Numerous references and comments added