Related papers: Can non-minimal coupling restore the consistency c…
We generalize the single-field consistency relations to capture not only the leading term in the squeezed limit---going as 1/q^3, where q is the small wavevector---but also the subleading one, going as 1/q^2. This term, for an (n+1)-point…
Single-field perturbations satisfy an infinite number of consistency relations constraining the squeezed limit of correlation functions at each order in the soft momentum. These can be understood as Ward identities for an infinite set of…
Supersymmetry plays a fundamental role in the radiative stability of many inflationary models. Spontaneous breaking of the symmetry inevitably leads to fields with masses of order the Hubble scale during inflation. When these fields couple…
The spatial curvature of the universe is not yet known. Even though at present the Universe is very close to being essentially flat and most signatures of curvature appear to have been diluted by inflation, if the number of e-foldings…
It is believed that the recent detection of large tensor perturbations strongly favors the inflation scenario in the early universe. This common sense depends on the assumption that Einstein's general relativity is valid at the early…
If time-dependent disruptions from slow-roll occur during inflation, the correlation functions of the primordial curvature perturbation should have scale-dependent features, a case which is marginally supported from the cosmic microwave…
Motivated by the aim of producing significant number of primordial black holes, over the past few years, there has been a considerable interest in examining models of inflation involving a single, canonical field, that permit a brief period…
Inflation due to a non-minimally coupled scalar field with a large non-minimal coupling, as first proposed by Salopek, Bardeen and Bond (SBB), is in good agreement with the observed value of the spectral index and constraints on the…
Detailed measurements of the cosmic microwave background indicate the large-scale homogeneity of the universe. On very small scales, we observe however inhomogeneities such as galaxies, stars, planets and ourselves. In the context of hot…
Non-attractor models of inflation are characterized by the super-horizon evolution of curvature perturbations, introducing a violation of the non-Gaussian consistency relation between the bispectrum's squeezed limit and the power spectrum's…
The fundamental difficulty in constructing a viable classical bouncing model is to evade the no-go theorem that states that, simultaneously maintaining the observational bounds on the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the non-Gaussian scalar…
A number of scalar field models proposed as alternatives to the standard inflationary scenario involve contracting phases which precede the universe's present phase of expansion. An important question concerning such models is whether there…
We investigate cosmological scenarios containing one canonical scalar field with an exponential potential in the context of bouncing models, where the bounce happens due to quantum cosmological effects. The only possible bouncing solutions…
Inflationary models are generally credited with explaining the large scale homogeneity, isotropy, and flatness of our universe as well as accounting for the origin of structure (i.e., the deviations from exact homogeneity) in our universe.…
The perturbations in the early universe are generated as a result of the interplay between quantum field theory and gravitation. Since these primordial perturbations lead to the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and eventually…
Axions play a central role in many realizations of large field models of inflation and in recent alternative mechanisms for generating primordial tensor modes in small field models. If these axions couple to gauge fields, the coupling…
The singularity and inflationary problems have posed significant challenges for understanding the universe's origin and evolution. Bouncing cosmology has emerged as a promising alternative to standard cosmological models, offering a…
We study cosmological perturbations in generalized Einstein scenarios and show the equivalence of inflationary observables both in the Jordan frame and the Einstein frame. In particular the consistency relation relating the tensor-to-scalar…
We study the consistency of several early-Universe scenarios within a framework of non-minimal effective sca\-lar--ten\-sor gravity. We show that bounce, inflation, and genesis stages are supported within the aforementioned theory.…
We summarize our work on a consistency condition for inflation in two-field cosmological models, in the regime of rapid turn and third-order slow roll. To ensure a sustained inflationary period of this type, one needs to satisfy a certain…