Nflation: multi-field inflationary dynamics and perturbations

We carry out numerical investigations of the dynamics and perturbations in the Nflation model of Dimopoulos et al. (2005). This model features large numbers of scalar fields with different masses, which can cooperate to drive inflation according to the assisted inflation mechanism. We extend previous work to include random initial conditions for the scalar fields, and explore the predictions for density perturbations and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. The tensor-to-scalar ratio depends only on the number of e-foldings and is independent of the number of fields, their masses, and their initial conditions. It therefore always has the same value as for a single massive field. By contrast, the scalar spectral index has significant dependence on model parameters. While normally multi-field inflation models make predictions for observable quantities which depend also on the unknown field initial conditions, we find evidence of a `thermodynamic' regime whereby the predicted spectral index becomes independent of initial conditions if there are enough fields. Only in parts of parameter space where the mass spectrum of the fields is extremely densely packed is the model capable of satisfying the tight observational constraints from WMAP3 observations.Comment: 6 pages RevTeX4, 4 figures included. Updated to match PRD accepted version. Analysis and conclusions unchanged. New references, especially astro-ph/0510441 which was first to give the general r=8/N resul

Stability of multi-field cosmological solutions

We explore the stability properties of multi-field solutions of assisted inflation type, where several fields collectively evolve to the same configuration. In the case of noninteracting fields, we show that the condition for such solutions to be stable is less restrictive than that required for tracking in quintessence models. Our results, which do not rely on the slow-roll approximation, further indicate that to linear order in homogeneous perturbations the fields are in fact unaware of each other's existence. We end by generalizing our results to some cases of interacting fields and to other background solutions and dynamics, including the high-energy braneworld.Comment: 6 pages; v2: typos corrected, version accepted by PR

Viable inflationary models ending with a first-order phase transition

We investigate the parameter space of hybrid inflation models where inflation terminates via a first-order phase transition causing nucleation of bubbles. Such models experience a tension from the need to ensure nearly scale invariant density perturbations, while avoiding a near scale-invariant bubble size distribution which would conflict observations. We perform an exact analysis of the different regimes of the models, where the energy density of the inflaton field ranges from being negligible as compared to the vacuum energy to providing most of the energy for inflation. Despite recent microwave anisotropy results favouring a spectral index less than one, we find that there are still viable models that end with bubble production and can match all available observations. As a by-product of our analysis, we also provide an up-to-date assessment of the viable parameter space of Linde's original second-order hybrid model across its full parameter range.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Revised version: corrections to description of the historical development of the models. v3: Minor corrections to match version accepted by PR

A dark energy view of inflation

Traditionally, inflationary models are analyzed in terms of parameters such as the scalar spectral index ns and the tensor to scalar ratio r, while dark energy models are studied in terms of the equation of state parameter w. Motivated by the fact that both deal with periods of accelerated expansion, we study the evolution of w during inflation, in order to derive observational constraints on its value during an earlier epoch likely dominated by a dynamic form of dark energy. We find that the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure data is consistent with w_inflation=-1 and provides an upper limit of 1+w <~ 0.02. Nonetheless, an exact de Sitter expansion with a constant w=-1 is disfavored since this would result in ns=1.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor modifications to match published versio

Cosmology on Compact and Stable Supergravity Background

We propose a cosmological model of D3-brane universe on compact and stable supergravity background of wrapped D7-branes in type IIB string theory previously argued to be dual to pure N=1 SU(N) gauge theory in four dimensions. A model universe of order Planck size near the UV boundary dynamically flows toward the IR with constant total energy density and accelerating expansion followed by smooth transition to decelerating expansion and collides with the wrapped D7-branes at the IR boundary. The model addresses the horizon and flatness problems with most of the expansion produced during the decelerating expansion phase. The inflationary scenario is used to generate sources of inhomogeneities in the cosmic microwave background radiation and seeds for large scale structure formation from quantum fluctuations which exit the Hubble radius early during the accelerating expansion phase and the model addresses the inhomogeneity problem with red tilt in the power spectrum. We propose that the kinetic energy of the model universe is converted to matter and radiation by the collision followed by formation of baryons that stabilizes the model universe against gravitational force from the background at a finite distance from the IR boundary with the wrapped D7-branes serving as sources of color. Friedmann evolution then takes over with a positive cosmological constant term coming from the remaining potential energy density which is interpreted as dark energy. The magnitude of dark energy density is smaller than the total energy density during the flow by a ratio of the scale factor when the model universe appears in the UV to the scale factor at the moment of collision and stays constant while the matter-radiation density falls during Friedmann expansion.Comment: 30 page

Detectable primordial non-gaussianities and gravitational waves in k-inflation

An inflationary single field model with a non-trivial kinetic term for the inflaton is discussed. It is shown that it is possible to have large primordial non-gaussianities and large tensor-to-scalar ratio in a simple concrete model with just a scalar field and a generalized kinetic term for the inflaton field. This is potentially interesting in the prospect of new forthcoming observations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, REVTEX, to appear in PR

The WMAP normalization of inflationary cosmologies

We use the three-year WMAP observations to determine the normalization of the matter power spectrum in inflationary cosmologies. In this context, the quantity of interest is not the normalization marginalized over all parameters, but rather the normalization as a function of the inflationary parameters n and r with marginalization over the remaining cosmological parameters. We compute this normalization and provide an accurate fitting function. The statistical uncertainty in the normalization is 3 percent, roughly half that achieved by COBE. We use the k-l relation for the standard cosmological model to identify the pivot scale for the WMAP normalization. We also quote the inflationary energy scale corresponding to the WMAP normalization.Comment: 4 pages RevTex4 with two figure

N-flation: Non-Gaussianity in the horizon-crossing approximation

We analyze the cosmic non-gaussianity produced in inflation models with multiple uncoupled fields with monomial potentials, such as Nflation. Using the horizon-crossing approximation to compute the non-gaussianity, we show that when each field has the same form of potential, the prediction is independent the number of fields, their initial conditions, and the spectrum of masses/couplings. It depends only on the number of e-foldings after the horizon crossing of observable perturbations. We also provide a further generalization to the case where the fields can have monomial potentials with different powers. Unless the horizon-crossing approximation is substantially violated, the predicted non-gaussianity is too small to ever be observed

Nflation: observable predictions from the random matrix mass spectrum

We carry out numerical investigations of the perturbations in Nflation models where the mass spectrum is generated by random matrix theory. The tensor-to-scalar ratio and non-gaussianity are already known to take the single-field values, and so the density perturbation spectral index is the main parameter of interest. We study several types of random field initial conditions, and compute the spectral index as a function of mass spectrum parameters. Comparison with microwave anisotropy data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe shows that the model is currently viable in the majority of its parameter space.Comment: 5 pages RevTeX with 4 figures. Minor corrections to match version to appear in Physical Review