Related papers: Unveiling the nonlinear dynamics of a rolling axio…
We study string inspired two-field models of large-field inflation based on axion monodromy in the presence of an interacting heavier modulus. This class of models has enough structure to approximate at least part of the backreaction…
We propose a new mechanism to suppress the axion isocurvature perturbation, while producing the right amount of axion dark matter, within the framework of supersymmetric axion models with the axion scale induced by supersymmetry breaking.…
Primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) generate scalar density perturbations at second order. Since the induced density contrast is quadratic in the tensor field, it is intrinsically non-Gaussian. We study the imprint of this tensor-induced…
We investigate primordial tensor non-Gaussianity in single field inflation, during a phase of non-attractor evolution when the spectrum of primordial tensor modes can be enhanced to a level detectable at interferometer scales. Making use of…
A new mechanism is presented which can reheat the Universe in non-oscillatory models of inflation, where the inflation period is followed by a period dominated by the kinetic density for the inflaton field (kination). The mechanism…
This study examines how inflationary dynamics are affected by $f(R)$ theories with a non-minimal coupling between matter and curvature. Both positive and negative corrections to the minimal coupling of General Relativity are considered, and…
We consider inflation with a constant rate of rolling in which a complex scalar field plays the role of inflaton during the inflationary epoch. We implement the inflationary analysis for an accredited angular speed $\dot{\theta}$ which…
Kinetic misalignment, one of the most compelling scenarios for the non-thermal generation of axion dark matter, is generally accompanied by axion fragmentation, a process in which the energy of the axion condensate is transferred to its…
Cosmological inflation generates a spectrum of density perturbations that can seed the cosmic structures we observe today. These perturbations are usually computed as the result of the gravitationally-induced spontaneous creation of…
This thesis is dedicated to studying cosmological inflation, which is a period of accelerated expansion in the very early Universe that is required to explain the observed anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. Inflation, when…
It is widely accepted that the primordial universe experienced a brief period of accelerated expansion called inflation. This scenario provides a plausible solution to the horizon and flatness problems. However, the particle physics…
We present a unified framework that simultaneously addresses the dynamics of early-time cosmic inflation and late-time cosmic acceleration within the context of a single scalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity. By employing an…
We derive a one-loop effective description of axion inflation by integrating out a heavy Dirac fermion with an inflaton-dependent complex mass undergoing a smooth localized threshold transition. The threshold induces correlated corrections…
Following inflation, the Universe may pass through an early matter-dominated phase supported by the oscillating inflaton condensate. Initially small fluctuations in the condensate grow gravitationally on subhorizon scales and can collapse…
We discuss how primordial non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbation helps to constrain models of the early universe. Observations are consistent with Gaussian initial conditions, compatible with the predictions of the simplest models of…
If light scalar fields are present at the end of inflation, their non-equilibrium dynamics such as parametric resonance or a phase transition can produce non-Gaussian density perturbations. We show how these perturbations can be calculated…
Because the inflationary mechanism is extremely sensitive to UV-physics, the construction of theoretically robust models of inflation provides a unique window on Planck-scale physics. We review efforts to use an axion with a shift symmetry…
We study the linear perturbation of the recently proposed model of inflation where a uniform gauge-kinetic coupling of the inflaton to multiple vector fields breaks the cosmic no-hair conjecture while maintaining the isotropy. We derive the…
The spectrum of the gravitational wave background originating from quantum fluctuations during inflation is calculated numerically for various inflation models over a wide range of frequencies. We take into account four ingredients : the…
We analyze the non--Gaussian primordial fluctuations which are inescapably contributed by scalar fields $\Phi$ with vanishing expectation values, $\langle\Phi\rangle=0$, present during inflation in addition to the inflaton field. For…