9 research outputs found
Where does Cosmological Perturbation Theory Break Down?
We apply the effective field theory approach to the coupled metric-inflaton
system, in order to investigate the impact of higher dimension operators on the
spectrum of scalar and tensor perturbations in the short-wavelength regime. In
both cases, effective corrections at tree-level become important when the
Hubble parameter is of the order of the Planck mass, or when the physical wave
number of a cosmological perturbation mode approaches the square of the Planck
mass divided by the Hubble constant. Thus, the cut-off length below which
conventional cosmological perturbation theory does not apply is likely to be
much smaller than the Planck length. This has implications for the
observability of "trans-Planckian" effects in the spectrum of primordial
perturbations.Comment: 25 pages, uses FeynM
Spinors, Inflation, and Non-Singular Cyclic Cosmologies
We consider toy cosmological models in which a classical, homogeneous, spinor
field provides a dominant or sub-dominant contribution to the energy-momentum
tensor of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. We find that, if such a
field were to exist, appropriate choices of the spinor self-interaction would
generate a rich variety of behaviors, quite different from their widely studied
scalar field counterparts. We first discuss solutions that incorporate a stage
of cosmic inflation and estimate the primordial spectrum of density
perturbations seeded during such a stage. Inflation driven by a spinor field
turns out to be unappealing as it leads to a blue spectrum of perturbations and
requires considerable fine-tuning of parameters. We next find that, for simple,
quartic spinor self-interactions, non-singular cyclic cosmologies exist with
reasonable parameter choices. These solutions might eventually be incorporated
into a successful past- and future-eternal cosmological model free of
singularities. In an Appendix, we discuss the classical treatment of spinors
and argue that certain quantum systems might be approximated in terms of such
fields.Comment: 12 two-column pages, 3 figures; uses RevTeX
Trans-Planckian wimpzillas
Two previously proposed conjectures--gravitational trans-Planckian particle
creation in the expanding universe, and the existence of ultra-heavy stable
particles with masses up to the Planck scale (wimpzillas)--are combined in a
proposal for trans-Planckian particle creation of wimpzillas. This new scenario
leads to a huge enhancement in their production compared to mechanisms put
forward earlier. As a result, it requires the trans-Planckian particle creation
parameter to be rather small to avoid overproduction of such particles, much
less than that is required for observable effects in the primordial
perturbation spectrum. This ensures also that wimpzillas are mainly created at
the end of primordial inflation. Conditions under which trans-Planckian
wimpzillas can constitute the present dark matter are determined.Comment: Replaced with the version to be published in JCAP. Division into
sections introduced, discussion expanded, references added, conclusions
unchange
Hints of (trans-Planckian) asymptotic freedom in semiclassical cosmology
We employ the semiclassical approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in
the spatially flat de Sitter Universe to investigate the dynamics of a
minimally coupled scalar field near the Planck scale. We find that, contrary to
naive intuition, the effects of quantum gravitational fluctuations become
negligible and the scalar field states asymptotically approach plane-waves at
very early times. These states can then be used as initial conditions for the
quantum states of matter to show that each mode essentially originated in the
minimum energy vacuum. Although the full quantum dynamics cannot be solved
exactly for the case at hand, our results can be considered as supporting the
general idea of asymptotic safety in quantum gravity.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures; replaced to match content of published versio
Anisotropic Inflation and the Origin of Four Large Dimensions
In the context of (4+d)-dimensional general relativity, we propose an
inflationary scenario wherein 3 spatial dimensions grow large, while d extra
dimensions remain small. Our model requires that a self-interacting d-form
acquire a vacuum expectation value along the extra dimensions. This causes 3
spatial dimensions to inflate, whilst keeping the size of the extra dimensions
nearly constant. We do not require an additional stabilization mechanism for
the radion, as stable solutions exist for flat, and for negatively curved
compact extra dimensions. From a four-dimensional perspective, the radion does
not couple to the inflaton; and, the small amplitude of the CMB temperature
anisotropies arises from an exponential suppression of fluctuations, due to the
higher-dimensional origin of the inflaton. The mechanism triggering the end of
inflation is responsible, both, for heating the universe, and for avoiding
violations of the equivalence principle due to coupling between the radion and
matter.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures; uses RevTeX4. v2: Minor changes and added
references. v3: Improved discussion of slow-rol
Enhanced Non-Gaussianity from Excited Initial States
We use the techniques of effective field theory in an expanding universe to
examine the effect of choosing an excited inflationary initial state built over
the Bunch-Davies state on the CMB bi-spectrum. We find that even for Hadamard
states, there are unexpected enhancements in the bi-spectrum for certain
configurations in momentum space due to interactions of modes in the early
stages of inflation. These enhancements can be parametrically larger than the
standard ones and are potentially observable in current and future data. These
initial state effects have a characteristic signature in -space which
distinguishes them from the usual contributions, with the enhancement being
most pronounced for configurations corresponding to flattened triangles for
which two momenta are collinear.Comment: 33 pages, 1 figure. Refs added and minor addition
Casimir dark energy, stabilization of the extra dimensions and Gauss–Bonnet term
A Casimir dark energy model in a five-dimensional and a six-dimensional spacetime including non-relativistic matter and a Gauss–Bonnet term is investigated. The Casimir energy can play the role of dark energy to drive the late-time acceleration of the universe while the radius of the extra dimensions can be stabilized. The qualitative analysis in four-dimensional spacetime shows that the contribution from the Gauss–Bonnet term will effectively slow down the radion field at the matter-dominated or radiation-dominated epochs so that it does not pass the point at which the minimum of the potential will arise before the minimum has formed. The field then is trapped at the minimum of the potential after the formation leading to the stabilization of the extra dimensions