Related papers: Consistency relation for the Lorentz invariant sin…
We present stability estimates for the inverse source problem of the stochastic Helmholtz equation in two and three dimensions by either near-field or far-field data. The random source is assumed to be a microlocally isotropic generalized…
An analysis is given of inflation based on a supersymmetric Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) action in an axionic landscape. The DBI model we discuss involves a landscape of chiral superfields with one $U(1)$ shift symmetry which is broken by…
We employ the formalism of the effective field theory of inflation to study the effects of a sudden change in the speed of sound of the inflationary perturbations. Such an event generates a feature with high frequency oscillations both in…
In the context of Brans--Dicke theories, eternal inflation is described in such a way that the evolution of the inflaton field is determined by the value of the Planck mass in different regions of the universe. The Planck mass is given by…
We use WMAP 9-year bispectrum data to constrain the free parameters of an 'effective field theory' describing fluctuations in single-field inflation. The Lagrangian of the theory contains a finite number of operators associated with unknown…
We examine the role of using symmetry and effective field theory in inflationary model building. We describe the standard formulation of starting with an approximate shift symmetry for a scalar field, and then introducing corrections…
We calculate IR divergent graviton one-loop corrections to scalar correlators in de Sitter space, and show that the leading IR contribution may be reproduced via simple semiclassical consistency relations. One can likewise use such…
We prove that the stochastic and standard field-theoretical approaches produce exactly the same results for the amount of light massive scalar field fluctuations generated during inflation in the leading order of the slow-roll…
We study the robustness of single-field inflation against inhomogeneities. We derive a simple analytic criterion on the shape of the potential for successful inflation in the presence of inhomogeneities, and demonstrate its validity using…
We investigate the symmetry constraints on the bispectrum, i.e. the three-point correlation function of primordial density fluctuations, in slow-roll inflation. It follows from the defining property of slow-roll inflation that primordial…
Recent studies, in the context of consistency conditions for rapid-turn and third order slow-roll inflation in two-field models, raised the question whether this regime can be sustained for more than a few e-folds of expansion. We answer…
We study the consistency of large-field inflation in low-energy effective field theories of string theory. In particular, we focus on the stability of K\"ahler moduli in the particularly interesting case where the non-perturbative…
We consider an intermediate Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) inflationary model in the presence of a minimal measurable length in the theory. We show that, the presence of a minimal measurable length modifies the definitions of the scalar and tensor…
Slow-roll inflation is studied in theories where the inflaton field is conformally coupled to the Ricci scalar. In particular, the case of Higgs field inflation in the context of the noncommutative spectral action is analyzed. It is shown…
In the standard inflationary scenario based on a minimally coupled scalar field, canonical or non-canonical, the subluminal propagation of speed of scalar perturbations ensures the following consistency relation: $r \leq - 8n_{_T}$, where…
We briefly summarize and update a class of inflationary models from the early eighties based on a quartic (Coleman-Weinberg) potential for a gauge singlet scalar (inflaton) field. For vacuum energy scales comparable to the grand unification…
We investigate the phenomenological consequences of a modification of the initial state of a single inflationary field. While single-field inflation with the standard Bunch-Davies initial vacuum state does not generally produce a measurable…
A characteristic of D-brane inflation is that fluctuations in the inflaton field can propagate at a speed significantly less than the speed of light. This yields observable effects that are distinct from those of single-field slow roll…
We describe models of single-field inflation with small and sharp step features in the potential (and sound speed) of the inflaton field, in the context of the Effective Field Theory of Inflation. This approach allows us to study the…
We discuss bispectra of single-field inflationary models described by general Lorentz invariant Lagrangians that are at most first order in field derivatives, including the fast-roll models investigated by Noller and Magueijo. Based on a…