Related papers: Challenges in generating density perturbations fro…
Obtaining a potential flat enough to provide slow roll inflation is often difficult when gravitational effects are included. Non-abelian discrete gauge symmetries can guarantee the flatness of the inflaton potential in this case, and also…
We construct non-linear inflaton potential energy densities that describe not-necessarily very-slowly-rolling closed and open inflation models, and compute tilted primordial spatial inhomogeneity power spectra that follow from quantum…
In the present paper we discuss how trans-Planckian physics affects inflationary vacuum fluctuations and primordial density perturbations. The trans-Planckian problem during inflation has been widely discussed in literature, but it is still…
Correlated adiabatic and isocurvature perturbation modes are produced during inflation through an oscillation mechanism when extra scalar degrees of freedom other than the inflaton field are present. We show that this correlation…
We analyze the simplest possible realization of the curvaton scenario, where a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of adiabatic perturbations is generated by conversion of an isocurvature perturbation generated during inflation, rather than the…
I present a model for inflation based on the gaugino-dilaton dynamics of supersymmetry breaking. The inflaton is the dimension--1 scalar field $\phi$ related to the gaugino condensate via $\lambda^T\lambda=\phi^3.$ Recent work in this area…
Moduli with flat or run-away classical potentials are generic in theories based on supersymmetry and extra dimensions. They mix between themselves and with matter fields in kinetic terms and in the nonperturbative superpotentials. As the…
We discuss the spectrum of scalar density perturbations from warm inflation when the friction coefficient $\Gamma$ in the inflaton equation is dependent on the inflaton field. The spectral index of scalar fluctuations depends on a new…
If an adiabatic density perturbation is responsible for large scale structure and the cmb anisotropy, its spectral index $n$ will be measured in the forseeable future with an accuracy $\Delta n\sim .01$. This is precisely the kind of…
We discuss the possible role of isocurvature perturbations for the quantum decoherence of the curvature perturbation during inflation. We point out that if the inflaton trajectory in field space is curved, the adiabatic mode is generically…
If the inflaton is a heavy scalar field, it may equilibrate slower than some other degrees of freedom, e.g. non-Abelian gauge bosons. In this case, perturbations in the inflaton field and in a thermal plasma coexist from a given moment…
We show that an axionlike field coupled to a new confining gauge group can generate the primordial density perturbation in the post-inflation universe. The axion decay constant and strong coupling scale are uniquely determined by…
We consider the expected level of primordial non-Gaussianities in models in which density perturbations are produced by spatial fluctuations in the decay rate of the inflaton. We consider both the non-Gaussianities resulting from the…
It has recently been shown [1] that light vector particles produced from inflationary fluctuations can give rise to the dark matter in the Universe. A similar mechanism has been discussed in [2] for a non-minimally coupled scalar enjoying a…
Starting from a gauge invariant treatment of perturbations an analytical expression for the spectrum of long wavelength density perturbations in warm inflation is derived. The adiabatic and entropy modes are exhibited explicitly. As an…
The recent progress in embedding inflation in string theory has made it clear that the problem of moduli stabilization cannot be ignored in this context. In many models a special role is played by the volume modulus, which is modified in…
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe microwave background data suggest that the primordial spectrum of scalar curvature fluctuations is suppressed at small wavenumbers. We propose a UV/IR mixing effect in small-field inflationary models…
We investigate the non-Gaussianity of primordial curvature perturbation in the modulated reheating scenario where the primordial perturbation is generated due to the spacial fluctuation of the inflaton decay rate to radiation. We use the…
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations are used to constrain reheating to Standard Model (SM) particles after a period of inflation. As a light spectator field, the SM Higgs boson acquires large field values from its quantum…
Cosmic inflation provides a compelling framework for explaining several observed features of our Universe, but its viability depends on an efficient reheating phase that converts the inflaton's energy into Standard Model particles. This…