Related papers: On the Initial Conditions in New Ekpyrotic Cosmolo…
A scale invariant spectrum of isocurvature perturbations is generated during collapse in the scaling solution in models where two or more fields have steep negative exponential potentials. The scale invariance of the spectrum is realised by…
We explore the isotropization of a model anisotropic universe in the bouncing models using the ekpyrotic potential without assuming initial conditions corresponding to an ekpyrotic phase. In particular, we explore the way the use of…
The ekpyrotic phase (a slow contraction cosmic phase before the current expansion phase) manages to solve the main problems of the standard cosmology by means of a scalar field interpreted as a cosmic fluid in the Friedmann equation.…
The ekpyrotic and cyclic universe scenarios have revived the idea that the density perturbations apparent in today's universe could have been generated in a `pre-singularity' epoch before the big bang. These scenarios provide explicit…
We propose a mechanism to generate a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of adiabatic scalar perturbations about a stable, ekpyrotic background. The key ingredient is a coupling between a single ekpyrotic field and a perfect fluid of…
This paper invokes a new mechanism for reducing a coupled system of fields (including Einstein's equations without a cosmological constant) to equations that possess solutions exhibiting characteristics of immediate relevance to current…
Both inflationary and ekpyrotic scenarios can account for the origin of the large scale structure of the universe. It is often said that detecting primordial gravitational waves is the key to distinguish both scenarios. We show that this is…
Certain features in the primordial scalar power spectrum are known to improve the fit to the cosmological data. We examine whether bouncing scenarios can remain viable if future data confirm the presence of such features. In inflation, the…
By considering a simplified but exact model for realizing the ekpyrotic scenario, we clarify various assumptions that have been used in the literature. In particular, we discuss the new ekpyrotic prescription for passing the perturbations…
We introduce "anamorphic" cosmology, an approach for explaining the smoothness and flatness of the universe on large scales and the generation of a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of adiabatic density perturbations. The defining feature is…
In this review, a number of approaches to superstring cosmology which make use of key features which distinguish string theory from point particle theories are discussed, with particular emphasis on emergent scenarios. One motivation for…
We consider a cosmological scenario in which a scale-invariant spectrum of curvature perturbations is generated by a rapidly-evolving equation of state on a slowly expanding background. This scenario generalizes the "adiabatic ekpyrotic"…
We address the perturbation power spectrum generated in the recently proposed ekpyrotic scenario by Khoury et al. The issue has been raised recently by Lyth who used the conventional method based on a conserved variable in the large-scale…
We propose a novel approach to the problem of constraining cosmological initial conditions. Within the framework of effective field theory, we classify initial conditions in terms of boundary terms added to the effective action describing…
We study the role that tachyon fields may play in cosmology as compared to the well-established use of minimally coupled scalar fields. We first elaborate on a kind of correspondence existing between tachyons and minimally coupled scalar…
The entropy of the observable universe is increasing. Thus, at earlier times the entropy was lower. However, the cosmic microwave background radiation reveals an apparently high entropy universe close to thermal and chemical equilibrium. A…
Cosmological models involving a bounce from a contracting to an expanding universe can address the standard cosmological puzzles and generate "primordial" density perturbations without the need for inflation. Some such models, in particular…
In the context of a ghost free $f(R,\mathcal{G})$ model, we present a non-singular cosmological scenario in which the universe initially contracts through an ekpyrotic phase having a bouncing like behaviour, and following the bounce, it…
We find initial data for numerical relativity simulations of inhomogeneous cosmologies. This involves treating an exceptional case of the general relativity constraint equations. We devise analytic and numerical methods to treat this…
The observed value of the Higgs mass indicates an instability of the Higgs scalar at large energy scales, and hence also at large field values. In the context of early universe cosmology, this is often considered to lead to problems. Here…