Related papers: Scalars Gliding Through an Expanding Universe
We show by using the method of matched asymptotic expansions that a sufficient condition can be derived which determines when a local experiment will detect the cosmological variation of a scalar field which is driving the spacetime…
In the present thesis, using an effective field theory point of view, we explore theories of single-field inflation where higher derivative operators become relevant, affecting in a novel way the dynamics and therefore the observations. For…
We have investigated a brane world model in which the gravitational field in the bulk is described both by a metric tensor and a minimally coupled scalar field. This scalar field is taken to be a chameleon with an appropriate potential…
We calculate the scalar gravitational and matter perturbations in the context of slow-roll inflation with multiple scalar fields, that take values on a (curved) manifold, to first order in slow roll. For that purpose a basis for these…
For the first time, we investigate the non-perturbative dynamics of single field inflation with a departure from slow-roll. Using simulations, we find that oscillatory features in the potential can drastically alter the course of inflation,…
We construct a simple non singular cosmological model in which the currently observed expansion phase was preceded by a contraction. This is achieved, in the framework of pure general relativity, by means of a radiation fluid and a free…
We have developed a quantum field theoretic framework for scalar and pseudoscalar meson mixing and oscillations in time. The unitary inequivalence of the Fock space of base (unmixed) eigenstates and the physical mixed eigenstates is proven…
Using dynamical systems methods, we describe the evolution of a minimally coupled scalar field and a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe in the context of general relativity, which is relevant for inflation and late-time…
In this paper, we wish to point out the possibility of using a complex scalar field to account for the inflationary stage and the current acceleration. By the analysis of the dynamical system and numerical work, we show that the amplitude…
We study the evolution of perturbations during the domination and decay of a massive particle species whose mass and decay rate are allowed to depend on the expectation value of a light scalar field. We specialize in the case where the…
Cosmological variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ due to the evolution of a spatially homogeneous ultra-light scalar field ($m \sim H_0$) during the matter and $\Lambda$ dominated eras is analyzed. Agreement of $\Delta…
A rotation in the field space of a complex scalar field corresponds to a Bose-Einstein condensation of $U(1)$ charges. We point out that fluctuations in this rotating condensate exhibit sound-wave modes, which can be excited by cosmic…
In an axiverse with numerous axions, the cosmological moduli problem poses a significant challenge because the abundance of axions can easily exceed that of dark matter. The well-established stochastic axion scenario offers a simple…
A scalar field with an exponential potential has the particular property that it is attracted into a solution in which its energy scales as the dominant component (radiation or matter) of the Universe, contributing a fixed fraction of the…
In the framework of chaotic inflation we study the case of a massive scalar field using a semiclassical approach. We derive the energy density fluctuations in the infrared sector generated by matter field and gauge-invariant metric…
I show that cosmological perturbation spectra produced from quantum fluctuations in massless or self-interacting scalar fields during an inflationary era remain invariant under a two parameter family of transformations of the homogeneous…
We study the pattern of oscillations in the primordial power spectrum in axion monodromy inflation, accounting for drifts in the oscillation period that can be important for comparing to cosmological data. In these models the potential…
Quantum fluctuations of an inflaton field, slow-rolling during inflation are coupled to metric fluctuations. In conventional four dimensional cosmology one can calculate the effect of scalar metric perturbations as slow-roll corrections to…
Models where the accelerated expansion of our Universe is caused by a quintessence scalar field are reviewed. In the framework of high energy physics, the physical nature of this field is discussed and its interaction with ordinary matter…
Diverse cosmological and astrophysical observations strongly hint at the presence of dark matter and dark energy in the Universe. One of the main goals of Cosmology is to explain the nature of these two components. It may well be that both…