Related papers: Cosmology and Supergravity
The presence of light scalars can have profound effects on early universe cosmology, influencing its thermal history as well as paradigms like inflation and baryogenesis. Effective supergravity provides a framework to make quantifiable,…
In supergravity, the dynamics of the sgoldstino -- superpartner of the goldstino superfield associated with the breaking of supersymmetry at low energy -- can substantially modify the dynamics of inflation in the primordial Universe.…
We introduce the general N=1 gauge theory superconformally coupled to supergravity. The theory has local SU(2,2|1) symmetry and no dimensional parameters. The superconformal origin of the Fayet-Iliopoulos terms is clarified. The phase of…
This essay aims to summarize the main physical features arising from a new supersymmetric theory of gravitation. Based on preliminary discussions about classical field theory, cosmology, algebra and group theory, and taking formal results…
In this paper we construct a model for group field cosmology. The classical equations of motion for the non-interactive part of this model generate the Hamiltonian constraint of loop quantum gravity for a homogeneous isotropic universe…
Quintessential inflation provides a unified description of inflation and dark energy in terms of a single scalar degree of freedom, the cosmon. We present here a comprehensive overview of this appealing paradigm, highlighting its key…
For two decades the hot big-bang model has been referred to as the standard cosmology -- and for good reason. For just as long cosmologists have known that there are fundamental questions that are not addressed by the standard cosmology and…
Abdus Salam's correspondence during his time as Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is held in the Abdus Salam Archive of the Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics+. I use this correspondence to…
In effective supergravity theories following from the superstring, a modulus field can quite naturally set the neccessary initial conditions for successful cosmological inflation to be driven by a hidden sector scalar field. The leading…
Cosmological inflation is not the only early universe scenario consistent with current observational data. I will discuss the criteria for a successful early universe cosmology, compare a couple of the proposed scenarios (inflation,…
Inflation, as currently understood, requires the presence of fields with very flat potentials. Supersymmetric models in which supersymmetry breaking is communicated by supergravity naturally yield such fields, but the scales are typically…
Supergravity, a locally supersymmetric gauge theory, may provide to describe new physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). In this sense, cosmological applications of supergravity can be the arena for probing outcomes of supergravity. It is…
Quantum effects play an essential role in modern cosmology. Perhaps the most striking example comes from large-scale structures, generally assumed to originate from vacuum quantum fluctuations and stretched by an expansion phase. Inflation…
The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is a big success. However, it lacks explanations for cosmic inflation, the matter-anti-matter asymmetry of the Universe, dark matter, neutrino oscillations, and the feebleness of CP violation in…
At present, there is practically no doubt that general relativity is closely related to gravity. Moreover, after the work of Jacobson, Padmanabhan and others, it became clear that a thermodynamic interpretation of Einstein's relativistic…
The Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology is analyzed with a particular potential $\rm V(\phi)=V_0 e^{-\sqrt{3} \phi}$ in the quintessence field scenario, which emerges in the supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSY) formalism. Using…
By way of paying tribute to Abdus Salam, I recall the ideas of higher unification that he and I initiated. I discuss the current status of those ideas in the light of recent developments, including those of: (a) gauge coupling unification,…
We propose a supersymmetrisation of the cosmological constant in ordinary $N=1$ supergravity that breaks supersymmetry spontaneously by a constant Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) term associated to a $U(1)$ symmetry. This term is a variation of a new…
We develop a cosmological model where primordial inflation is driven by a 'solid', defined as a system of three derivatively coupled scalar fields obeying certain symmetries and spontaneously breaking a certain subgroup of these. The…
The scientific status of physical cosmology has been the subject of philosophical debate ever since detailed mathematical models of the Universe emerged from Einstein's general theory of relativity. Such debates have revolved around whether…