Related papers: Constraints on Scalar and Tensor spectra from $N_{…
We present a mechanism for gravitational wave (GW) production from isocurvature perturbations in spectator scalar fields during inflation. These energetically subdominant fields develop blue-tilted power spectra through inflationary…
Sufficiently large scalar perturbations in the early Universe can create over-dense regions that collapse into primordial black holes (PBH). This process is accompanied by the emission of scalar-induced gravitational waves (SIGW) that…
We revisit alternative mechanisms of gravitational wave production during inflation and argue that they generically emit a non-negligible amount of scalar fluctuations. We find the scalar power is larger than the tensor power by a factor of…
In standard inflationary cosmology, scalar and tensor perturbations grew as the Universe expanded and froze when their wavelengths exceeded the Hubble horizon, producing a tell-tale signature in the fluctuation spectrum and amplitude of the…
We consider the effects of the quantum stress tensor fluctuations of a conformal field in generating gravity waves in inflationary models. We find a non-scale invariant, non-Gaussian contribution which depends upon the total expansion…
A novel constraint on $f(R)$ theories of gravity is obtained from the gravitational wave signal emitted from the binary neutron star merger event GW170817. The $f(R)$ theories possess an additional massive scalar degree of freedom apart…
The weak gravity conjecture imposes severe constraints on natural inflation. A trans-Planckian axion decay constant can only be realized if the potential exhibits an additional (subdominant) modulation with sub-Planckian periodicity. The…
We study the scalar induced gravitational wave (GW) background in inflation with gravitationally enhanced friction (GEF). The GEF mechanism, which is realized by assuming a nonminimal derivative coupling between the inflaton field and…
We propose a novel mechanism for gravitational wave (GW) production sourced by spectator scalar fields during inflation. These fields, while not driving cosmic expansion, generate blue-tilted isocurvature fluctuations that naturally satisfy…
The recent detection of a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) at nanohertz frequencies by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) has sparked a flurry of interest. Beyond the standard interpretation that the progenitor is a network of…
Scalar-tensor theories are among the simplest extensions of general relativity. In theories with light scalars, deviations from Einstein's theory of gravity are determined by the scalar mass m_s and by a Brans-Dicke-like coupling parameter…
Large-scale primordial perturbations have been well constrained by current cosmological observations, but the properties of small-scale perturbations remain elusive. This study focuses on second-order induced gravitational waves generated…
In the context of inflationary scenarios, the observed large angle anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature is believed to probe the primordial metric perturbations from inflation. Although the perturbations from…
We study the degree to which the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to constrain primordial non-Gaussianity involving one tensor and two scalar fluctuations, focusing on the correlation of one polarization $B$ mode with two…
Observations of the cosmic microwave background do not yet determine whether inflation was driven by a slowly-rolling scalar field or involved another physical mechanism. In this paper we discuss the prospects of using the power spectra of…
Primordial Gravitational Waves, i.e. a background of metric perturbations sourced by the quantum inflationary fluctuations, if measured, could both provide a substantial evidence for primordial inflation and shed light on physics at…
Formation of primordial black holes from inflationary fluctuations is accompanied by a scalar induced gravitational wave background. We perform a Bayesian search of such background in the data from Advanced LIGO and Virgo's first, second…
The most conventional mechanism for gravitational waves (gw) production during inflation is the amplification of vacuum metric fluctuations. In this case the gw production can be uniquely related to the inflationary expansion rate $H$. For…
Stochastic gravitational waves can be induced from the primordial curvature perturbations generated during inflation, through scalar-tensor mode coupling at the second order of cosmological perturbation theory. Here we discuss a model of…
We study the production, spectrum and detectability of gravitational waves in models of the early Universe where first order phase transitions occur during inflation. We consider all relevant sources. The self-consistency of the scenario…