Related papers: Logarithmic Extensions to Inflation Universality C…
We investigate the inflationary realization in the context of unimodular $F(T)$ gravity, which is based on the $F(T)$ modification of teleparallel gravity, in which one imposes the unimodular condition through the use of Lagrange…
In this paper, we build upon the successes of the ultraviolet (UV) completion of the Starobinsky model of inflation. This involves an extension of the Einstein-Hilbert term by an infinite covariant derivative theory of gravity, which is…
In the primordial universe, fields with mass much larger than the mass-scale of the event-horizon (such as the Hubble parameter in inflation) exist ubiquitously, and can be excited from time to time and oscillate quickly around their…
Higher-order theories of gravity are a branch of modified gravity wherein the geometrodynamics of the four-dimensional Riemannian manifold is determined by field equations involving derivatives of the metric tensor of order higher than two.…
Though predictions of the simplest inflationary cosmological models with cold dark matter, flat space and approximately flat initial spectrum of adiabatic perturbations are remarkably close to observational data, we have to go beyond them…
We study some of the roles for unparticles in an inflationary universe. Unparticles by themselves are not appropriate for generating the primordial perturbations since their power spectrum does not match what has been inferred from…
A generalization of inflationary $\alpha$-attractor models (``polynomial $\alpha$-attractor'') was recently proposed by Kallosh and Linde, in which the potential involves logarithmic functions of the inflaton so that the derivative of the…
We extend the theory of cosmological perturbations to the case when the ``matter'' Lagrangian is an arbitrary function of the scalar field and its first derivatives. In particular, this extension provides a unified description of known…
$R+R^2$ Supergravity is known to be equivalent to standard Supergravity coupled to two chiral supermultiples with a no-scale K\"ahler potential. Within this framework, that can accomodate vanishing vacuum energy and spontaneous…
The BICEP2 collaboration has recently released data showing that the scalar-to-tensor ratio $r$ is much larger than expected. The immediate consequence, in the context of $f(R)$ gravity, is that the Starobinsky model of inflation is ruled…
We study $\alpha$-attractor models with both E-model and T-model potential in an extended Non-Minimal Derivative (NMD) inflation where a canonical scalar field and its derivatives are non-minimally coupled to gravity. We calculate the…
This series of lectures gives a pedagogical review of the subject of cosmological inflation. I discuss Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology and the horizon and flatness problems of the standard hot Big Bang, and introduce inflation as a…
Recently it was argued that an inflationary potential yielding power spectra characterized by a scale-invariant tensorial spectral index and a weakly scale-dependent scalar spectral index might account for a generic large-scale structure…
The detection of primordial gravitational waves, or tensor perturbations, would be regarded as compelling evidence for inflation. The canonical measure of this is the ratio of tensor to scalar perturbations, r. For single-field slow-roll…
We present a stable cosmological model of a closed universe in the presence of conventional scalar field. The stability of the model and absence of singularity is ensured by spatial curvature without the need for additional peculiar matter.…
We introduce a novel correlation, $n_s$ - $\Delta N$, connecting CMB parameters to the required total e-folds for eternal inflation. This correlation provides a robust tool for evaluating eternal (string) inflation models using CMB data and…
We show that, for a given fixed value of the number of e-folds of the homogeneous solution, inflation succeeds with order unity inhomogeneities in the initial conditions above a characteristic value of the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$. In…
Using techniques from loop quantum gravity, the standard theory of cosmological perturbations was recently generalized to encompass the Planck era. We now apply this framework to explore pre-inflationary dynamics. The framework enables us…
The primordial power spectrum informs the possible inflationary histories of our universe. Given a power spectrum, the ensuing cosmic microwave background is calculated and compared to the observed one. Thus, one focus of modern cosmology…
Loop quantum cosmology provides an efficient framework to study the evolution of the Universe beyond the classical Big Bang paradigm. Because of holonomy corrections, the singularity is replaced by a "bounce". The dynamics of the background…