Extension of the adiabatic regularization method to spin-1/2 fields

The adiabatic regularization method was designed by L. Parker [1] for scalar fields in order to to subtract the potentially UV divergences that appear in the particle number operator. After that the method was generalized [2] to remove, in a consistent way, the UV divergences that appear in the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor 〈Tμv〉 in homogeneous cosmological backgrounds. We are going to provide here the extension of the adiabatic regularization method to spin-1/2 fields first given in [3]. In order to achieve this extension we will show the generalization of the adiabatic expansion for fermionic fields which differs significantly from the WKB-type expansion that works for the scalar modes. We will also show the consistency of the extended method computing well-known results, computed by other renormalization methods for a Dirac field in a FLRW spacetime, like the conformal and axial anomalies. Finally we will compute the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor for a Dirac field in a de Sitter spacetimeSEVERO OCHOA Progra

Challenges for D-brane large-field inflation with stabilizer fields

We study possible string theory compactifications which, in the low-energy limit, describe chaotic inflation with a stabilizer field. We first analyze type IIA setups where the inflationary potential arises from a D6-brane wrapping an internal three-cycle, and where the stabilizer field is either an open-string or bulk K\"ahler modulus. We find that after integrating out the relevant closed-string moduli consistently, tachyonic directions arise during inflation which cannot be lifted. This is ultimately due to the shift symmetries of the type IIA K\"ahler potential at large compactification volume. This motivates us to search for stabilizer candidates in the complex structure sector of type IIB orientifolds, since these fields couple to D7-brane Wilson lines and their shift symmetries are generically broken away from the large complex structure limit. However, we find that in these setups the challenge is to obtain the necessary hierarchy between the inflationary and Kaluza-Klein scales.Comment: 26 pages, typos corrected and comments added. Published versio

Flux Flattening in Axion Monodromy Inflation

String theory models of axion monodromy inflation exhibit scalar potentials which are quadratic for small values of the inflaton field and evolve to a more complicated function for large field values. Oftentimes the large field behaviour is gentler than quadratic, lowering the tensor-to-scalar ratio. This effect, known as flattening, has been observed in the string theory context through the properties of the DBI+CS D-brane action. We revisit such flattening effects in type IIB flux compactifications with mobile D7-branes, with the inflaton identified with the D7-brane position. We observe that, with a generic choice of background fluxes, flattening effects are larger than previously observed, allowing to fit these models within current experimental bounds. In particular, we compute the cosmological observables in scenarios compatible with closed-string moduli stabilisation, finding tensor-to-scalar ratios as low as r ~ 0.04. These are models of single field inflation in which the inflaton is much lighter than the other scalars through a mild tuning of the compactification data.Comment: 56 pages, 11 plot

D-branes, axion monodromy and large-field inflation

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Física Teórica. Fecha de lectura: 14-09-201

Adiabatic regularization and particle creation for spin one-half fields

The extension of the adiabatic regularization method to spin-1/2 fields requires a self-consistent adiabatic expansion of the field modes. We provide here the details of such expansion, which differs from the WKB ansatz that works well for scalars, to firmly establish the generalization of the adiabatic renormalization scheme to spin-1/2 fields. We focus on the computation of particle production in de Sitter spacetime and obtain an analytic expression of the renormalized stress-energy tensor for Dirac fermions

Electric-magnetic duality and renormalization in curved spacetimes

We point out that the duality symmetry of free electromagnetism does not hold in the quantum theory if an arbitrary classical gravitational background is present. The symmetry breaks in the process of renormalization, as also happens with conformal invariance. We show that a similar duality anomaly appears for a massless scalar field in 1 + 1 dimensions

Adiabatic regularization for spin-1/2 fields

We extend the adiabatic regularization method to spin-1/2 fields. The ansatz for the adiabatic expansion for fermionic modes differs significantly from the WKB-type template that works for scalar modes. We give explicit expressions for the first adiabatic orders and analyze particle creation in de Sitter spacetime. As for scalar fields, the adiabatic method can be distinguished by its capability to overcome the UV divergences of the particle number operator. We also test the consistency of the extended method by working out the conformal and axial anomalies for a Dirac field in a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker spacetime, in exact agreement with those obtained from other renormalization prescriptions. We finally show its power by computing the renormalized stress-energy tensor for Dirac fermions in de Sitter space

D6-branes and axion monodromy inflation

Journal of High Energy Physics 2016.3 (2016): 113 reproduced by permission of Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA)We develop new scenarios of large field inflation in type IIA string compactifications in which the key ingredient is a D6-brane that creates a potential for a B-field axion. The potential has the multi-branched structure typical of F-term axion monodromy models and, near its supersymmetric minima, it is described by a 4d supergravity model of chaotic inflation with a stabiliser field. The same statement applies to the D6-brane Wilson line, which can also be considered as an inflaton candidate. We analyse both cases in the context of type IIA moduli stabilisation, finding an effective potential for the inflaton system and a simple mechanism to lower the inflaton mass with respect to closed string moduli stabilised by fluxes. Finally, we compute the B-field potential for trans-Planckian field values by means of the DBI action. The effect of Planck suppressed corrections is a flattened potential which, in terms of the compactification parameters, interpolates between linear and quadratic inflation. This renders the cosmological parameters of these models compatible with current experimental bounds, with the tensor-to-scalar ratio ranging as 0.08 ≤ r ≤ 0.12This work has been partially supported by the grant FPA2012-32828 from the MINECO, the REA grant agreement PCIG10-GA-2011-304023 from the People Programme of FP7 (Marie Curie Action), the ERC Advanced Grant SPLE under contract ERC-2012-ADG-20120216-320421 and the grant SEV-2012-0249 of the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa” Programme. In additon D. E. and A.L. are respectively supported through the FPI grants SVP-2014-068283 and SVP-2013-067949, F.M. is supported by the Ramón y Cajal programme through the grant RYC-2009-05096 and D.R is supported by a grant from the Max Planck Societ