Related papers: Parity-violating CMB correlators with non-decaying…
The inflaton might be coupled to a gauge field through a term f^2(\phi) F_\mu\nu F^\mu\nu. If f \propto a^{-2} where a(t) is the scale factor, the perturbation \delta W of the gauge field generates a potentially observable statistically…
Recently, BICEP2 measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) $B$-mode polarization at degree angular scales has indicated the presence of tensor modes with a high tensor-to-scalar ratio of $r=0.2$ when assuming nearly…
We analyze a massive vector field with a non-canonical kinetic term in the action, minimally coupled to gravity, where the mass and kinetic function of the vector field vary as functions of time during inflation. The vector field is…
It is natural to wonder whether there may be observational relics of new fundamental fields, beyond the inflaton, in large scale structure. Here we discuss the phenomenology of a model in which compensated isocurvature perturbations (CIPs)…
We investigate anisotropic and homogeneous cosmological models in the scalar-tensor theory of gravity with non-minimal kinetic coupling of a scalar field to the curvature given by the function $\eta\cdot(\phi/2)\cdot G_{\mu\nu}\,\nabla^\mu…
Cosmological correlators from inflation are often generated at tree level and hence loop contributions are bounded to be small corrections by perturbativity. Here we discuss a scenario where this is not the case. Recently, it has been shown…
Considering high-energy modifications of Einstein gravity during inflation is an interesting issue. We can constrain the strength of the new gravitational terms through observations of inflationary imprints in the actual universe. In this…
Arbitrary generalization to the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity loses local Lorentz invariance to reparametrize the orthonormal coordinate system and gives rise to asymmetry field equations. We investigate consequences of…
We examine all-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature maps on large angular scales to compare their consistency with two scenarios: the standard inflationary quantum picture, and a distribution constrained to have a universal…
Could new physics break the mirror symmetry of the Universe? Utilizing recent measurements of the parity-odd four-point correlation function of BOSS galaxies, we probe the physics of inflation by placing constraints on the amplitude of a…
In this paper, we present compelling evidence for the parity asymmetry (a discrete symmetry that is separate from isotropy) in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) map, measured through two-point temperature correlations. This parity…
Models are developed to estimate properties of relic cosmic perturbations with "spooky" nonlocal correlations on the inflationary horizon, analogous to those previously posited for information on black hole event horizons. Scalar curvature…
Massive fields can imprint unique oscillatory features on primordial correlation functions or inflationary correlators, which is dubbed the cosmological collider signal. In this work, we analytically investigate the effects of a…
We compute correlation functions of the primordial density perturbations when they couple to a gapless, strongly coupled sector of spectator fields -- ``unparticles" -- during inflation. We first derive a four-point function of conformally…
Motivated by cosmological observations, we push the cosmological bootstrap program beyond the de Sitter invariance lamppost by considering correlators that explicitly break scale invariance, thereby exhibiting primordial features. For…
Detecting parity violation on cosmological scales would provide a striking clue to new physics. Large-scale structure offers the raw statistical power -- many three-dimensional modes -- to make such tests. However, for scalar observables,…
The latest Planck results show a power deficit in the temperature anisotropies near $\ell \approx 20$ in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). This observation can hardly be explained within the standard inflationary…
I present recent work aimed at showing how currently competing theories of the early universe leave their imprint on the temperature anisotropies of the CMB radiation. We consider the 3-point correlation function, as well as the inherent…
We explain why the concept of a spontaneously broken superconformal symmetry is useful to describe inflationary models favored by the Planck. Non-minimal coupling of complex scalars to curvature, N(X, X*) R, is compulsory for superconformal…
The effect of spatial curvature on primordial perturbations is controlled by $ \Omega_{K,0}/c_{s}^{2} $, where $ \Omega_{K,0} $ is today's fractional density of spatial curvature and $ c_{s} $ is the speed of sound during inflation. Here we…