Related papers: Fast Computation of First-Order Feature-Bispectrum…
The primordial spectrum of fluctuations may present a large peak as a result of enhancing features during inflation. This may include, but is not limited to, bumps in the inflaton's potential, phases of ultra-slow-roll or turns in…
We propose a family of optimization methods that achieve linear convergence using first-order gradient information and constant step sizes on a class of convex functions much larger than the smooth and strongly convex ones. This larger…
Inflation can be supported in very steep potentials if it is generated by rapidly turning fields, which can be natural in negatively curved field spaces. The curvature perturbation, $\zeta$, of these models undergoes an exponential,…
We re-examine large scalar fields within effective field theory, in particular focussing on the issues raised by their use in inflationary models (as suggested by BICEP2 to obtain primordial tensor modes). We argue that when the large-field…
The study of first-order optimization algorithms (FOA) typically starts with assumptions on the objective functions, most commonly smoothness and strong convexity. These metrics are used to tune the hyperparameters of FOA. We introduce a…
We discuss the possible existence of features in both the primordial power spectrum and bispectrum generated during a stage of single field cosmic inflation. We argue that there are two main classes of features: those produced by a sudden…
We present a coordinate-free approach for constructing approximate first integrals of generalized slow-fast Hamiltonian systems, based on the global averaging method on parameter-dependent phase spaces with $\mathbb{S}^1 -$symmetry.…
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…
The curvaton scenario predicts an almost scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations in most inflation models. We consider the possibility that renormalisable phi^4 or Planck scale-suppressed non-renormalisable curvaton potential terms may…
The standard calculation of the spectrum of density perturbations produced during inflation assumes (i) |n-1| << 1 and (ii) |dn/dlnk| << |n-1|. Slow-roll predicts and observations require (i), but neither slow-roll nor observations require…
We consider the dynamics of a quantum scalar field in the background of a slow-roll inflating Universe. We compute the one-loop quantum corrections to the field and Friedmann equation of motion, in both a 1PI and a 2PI expansion, to leading…
This paper introduces a generalised 3rd-order Spectral Representation Method for the simulation of multi-dimensional stochastic fields with asymmetric non-linearities. The simulated random fields satisfy a prescribed Power Spectrum and…
This paper investigates model-order reduction methods for geometrically nonlinear structures. The parametrisation method of invariant manifolds is used and adapted to the case of mechanical systems expressed in the physical basis, so that…
I show that a classical scalar potential with $ V''/V \sim 1 $ can be sufficiently flattened by quantum corrections to give rise to slow-roll inflation. This provides perhaps the simplest way to generate an inflationary potential without…
Inflationary perturbations in multi-field theories can exhibit a transient tachyonic instability as a consequence of their non-trivial motion in the internal field space. When an effective single-field description is applicable, the…
We propose a class of single-field, slow-roll inflation models in which a typical number of $e$-folds can be extremely large. The key point is to introduce a very shallow local minimum near the top of the potential in a hilltop inflation…
We compute the fourth order action in perturbation theory for scalar and second order tensor perturbations for a minimally coupled single field inflationary model, where the inflaton's lagrangian is a general function of the field's value…
The physics of primordial black holes can be affected by the non-Gaussian statistics of the density fluctuations that generate them. Therefore, it is important to have good theoretical control of the higher-order correlation functions for…
A general scalar-tensor theory can be formulated in different parametrizations that are related by a conformal rescaling of the metric and a scalar field redefinition. We compare formulations of slow-roll regimes in the Einstein and Jordan…
We have carried out detailed $k$-mode analysis of single-inflaton slow-roll inflationary perturbations including quantum fluctuations by setting up non-linear coupled differential equations of inflaton field ($\phi$), its perturbation…