Related papers: Inflation in the Postmodern Era
We show that quantum corrections to the effective potential in supersymmetric hybrid inflation can be calculated all the way from the inflationary period - when the Universe is dominated by a false vacuum energy density - till the fields…
We use a numerical code to compute the density perturbations generated during an inflationary epoch which includes a spontaneous symmetry breaking phase transition. A sharp step in the inflaton potential generates $k$ dependent oscillations…
We show that multi-field inflationary models with negligible turning in field space during inflation can lead to an effective sourcing of adiabatic from entropic perturbations {\it after} the end of inflation. We illustrate this general…
Planning to explore the beginning of the Universe? A lightweight introductory guide to the theory of Inflation.
The cosmological model best capable of fitting current observational data features two separate epochs during which the Universe is accelerating. During the earliest stages of the Universe, such acceleration is known as cosmological…
Does inflation provide a compelling explanation for why the universe is so large, so flat, and so old, and a predictive theory of density perturbations? In this brief contribution (based on the role of the author as moderator of the…
We inaugurate a framework for studying preheating and parametric resonance after inflation without resorting to any approximations, either in gravitational perturbation theory or in the evolution of the field(s). We do this by numerically…
Recent experimental determinations of the spectral index describing the scalar mode spectrum of density perturbations encourage comparison with predictions from models of the very early universe. Unlike extended inflation, Induced-gravity…
Inflation arises in supersymmetric grand unified theories (susy GUTs) without fine tuning and cosmic strings usually form at the end of inflation. Hence both strings and inflation contribute to the density perturbations in the very early…
The effect of the initial conditions in inflation on scalar and tensor perturbations is investigated. Formulae for the power spectra of gravitational waves and curvature perturbations for any initial conditions in inflation are derived, and…
We draw attention to the possibility that inflation (i.e. accelerated expansion) might continue after the end of slow roll, during a period of fast oscillations of the inflaton field \phi . This phenomenon takes place when a mild…
A method to estimate the reliability of a perturbative expansion of the stochastic inflationary Langevin equation is presented and discussed. The method is applied to various inflationary scenarios, as large field, small field and running…
This study reviews the advances made in inflationary theory, especially regarding the seeming disparity between inflation energy and dark energy, and their significance to cosmic evolution as a whole. I attempt to connect the two sources of…
We study the metric perturbations produced during inflation in models with two scalar fields evolving simultaneously. In particular, we emphasize how the large-scale curvature perturbation $\zeta$ on fixed energy density hypersurfaces may…
We consider a model of inflation which has recently been proposed in the literature and where inflation is induced by corrections to the energy density coming from the non-commutativity of spacetime. We show that the very rapid inflationary…
We review the prospects for detecting tensor modes generated during inflation by CMB polarization experiments and by searching for a stochastic gravitational wave background with laser interferometers in space. We tackle the following two…
Hybrid inflation within supersymmetric grand unified theories, as well as inflation through brane collisions within braneworld cosmological models, lead to the formation of one-dimensional defects. Observational data, mainly from the cosmic…
We analyze the impact of certain modifications to short distance physics on the inflationary perturbation spectrum. For the specific case of power-law inflation, we find distinctive -- and possibly observable -- effects on the spectrum of…
The precision era of cosmology demands accurate theoretical predictions from inflationary models. In quantitative reheating analyses, inflationary observables depend sensitively on the number of e-folds between horizon exit and the end of…
We review recent trends on inflationary dynamics in the context of viable modified gravity theories. After providing a general overview of the inflationary paradigm emphasizing on what problems of hot Big Bang theory inflation solves, and a…