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Given that observations seem to favour a \index{density parameter} $\Omega_0<1$, corresponding to an open universe, we consider gauge\hs invariant perturbations of non\hs flat Robertson\hs Walker universes filled with a general imperfect…
Damping on an object generally depends on its conformation (shape size etc.). We consider the Langevin dynamics of a model system with a conformation dependent damping and generalize the fluctuation dissipation relation to fit in such a…
We study the implications of deformed quantum algebras for the generation of primordial perturbations from slow-roll inflation. Specifically, we assume that the quantum commutator of the inflaton's amplitude and momentum in Fourier space…
Estimating the probability distribution 'q' governing the behaviour of a certain variable by sampling its value a finite number of times most typically involves an error. Successive measurements allow the construction of a histogram, or…
Observation indicates that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and favours a dynamical cosmological constant, \Lambda(t). We consider the possibility that this is due to a scalar field which has undergone a very recent phase…
Cosmological local observables are at best statistically determined by the fundamental theory describing inflation. When the scalar inflaton is coupled uniformly to a collection of subdominant massless gauge vectors, rotational invariance…
Cosmological $\alpha$-attractors stand out as particularly compelling models to describe inflation in the very early universe, naturally meeting tight observational bounds from cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. We investigate…
Vacuum fluctuations in the inflaton field driving chaotic inflation with a quadratic potential give a red spectrum of primordial density perturbations, n=0.97. However angular fluctuations in an O(N)-symmetric quadratic potential have a…
The prediction of a phase of inflation whose number of e-folds is constrained is an important feature of loop quantum cosmology. This work aims at giving some elementary clarifications on the role of the different hypotheses leading to this…
I consider the generic model independent predictions of the theory of quantum cosmological perturbations. To describe the stage of cosmic inflation, where these perturbations are amplified, the hydrodynamical approch is used. The…
We study the evolution of quantum fluctuations of gravity around an inflationary solution in renormalizable quantum gravity, in which the initial scalar-fluctuation dominance is shown by the background-free nature expressed by a special…
Understanding the physics of inflaton condensate fragmentation in the early Universe is crucial as the existence of fragments in the form of non-topological solitons (oscillons or Q-balls) may potentially modify the evolution of the…
A theory of evolution for the Universe requires both a mutation mechanism and a selection mechanism. We propose that both can be encountered in the stochastic approach to quantum cosmology. In Brans--Dicke chaotic inflation, the quantum…
We extend our recent work on ``two-metric'' theories of gravity by showing how in such models cosmic defects can produce a spectrum of primordial Gaussian density perturbations. This will happen when the speed characterising the decay…
Observations of the cosmic microwave sky are revealing the primordial non-uniformities from which all structure in the Universe grew. The only known physical mechanism for generating the inhomogeneities we see involves the amplification of…
These lectures are intended to give a pedagogical introduction to the main current picture of the very early universe. After elementary reviews of general relativity and of the standard Big Bang model, the following subjects are discussed:…
We consider the mixed inflaton-curvaton scenario in which quantum fluctuations of the curvaton field during inflation lead to a relatively large curvature perturbation spectrum at small scales. We use the model of chaotic inflation with…
A stochastic model for intermittent fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of magnetically confined plasmas has been constructed based on a super-position of uncorrelated pulses arriving according to a Poisson process. In the most common…
We present an explicit observationally acceptable model for evolution from inflation to the present epoch under the assumption that the entropy and matter of the familiar universe are from gravitational particle production at the end of…
A class of inflationary models that involve rapid bursts of particle productions predict observational signatures, such as bump-like features in the primordial scalar power spectrum. In this work, we analyze such models by comparing their…