Inflationary spectra and observations in loop quantum cosmology

We review some recent progress in the extraction of inflationary observables in loop quantum cosmology. Inverse-volume quantum corrections induce a growth of power in the large-scale cosmological spectra and are constrained by observations

Gravity on a multifractal

Despite their diversity, many of the most prominent candidate theories of quantum gravity share the property to be effectively lower-dimensional at small scales. In particular, dimension two plays a fundamental role in the finiteness of these models of Nature. Thus motivated, we entertain the idea that spacetime is a multifractal with integer dimension 4 at large scales, while it is two-dimensional in the ultraviolet. Consequences for particle physics, gravity and cosmology are discussed

Diffusion in quantum geometry

The change of the effective dimension of spacetime with the probed scale is a universal phenomenon shared by independent models of quantum gravity. Using tools of probability theory and multifractal geometry, we show how dimensional flow is controlled by a multiscale fractional diffusion equation, and physically interpreted as a composite stochastic process. The simplest example is a fractional telegraph process, describing quantum spacetimes with a spectral dimension equal to 2 in the ultraviolet and monotonically rising to 4 towards the infrared. The general profile of the spectral dimension of the recently introduced multifractional spaces is constructed for the first time.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. v2: title slightly changed, discussion improve

New Models of f(R) Theories of Gravity

We introduce new models of f(R) theories of gravity that are generalization of Horava-Lifshitz gravity.Comment: 16 pages, typos corrected, v2:minor changes, references adde

2-point functions in quantum cosmology

We discuss the path-integral formulation of quantum cosmology with a massless scalar field as a sum-over-histories, with particular reference to loop quantum cosmology. Exploiting the analogy with the relativistic particle, we give a complete overview of the possible two-point functions, deriving vertex expansions and composition laws they satisfy. We clarify the tie between definitions using a group averaging procedure and those in a deparametrised framework. We draw some conclusions about the physics of a single quantum universe and multiverse field theories where the role of these sectors and the inner product are reinterpreted.Comment: 4 pages, based on a talk given at Loops '11, Madrid, to appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS

2-point functions in quantum cosmology

We discuss the path-integral formulation of quantum cosmology with a massless scalar field as a sum-over-histories, with particular reference to loop quantum cosmology. Exploiting the analogy with the relativistic particle, we give a complete overview of the possible two-point functions, deriving vertex expansions and composition laws they satisfy. We clarify the tie between definitions using a group averaging procedure and those in a deparametrised framework. We draw some conclusions about the physics of a single quantum universe and multiverse field theories where the role of these sectors and the inner product are reinterpreted.Comment: 4 pages, based on a talk given at Loops '11, Madrid, to appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS

Gravitational waves from brane-world inflation with induced gravity

We calculate the amplitude of gravitational waves produced by inflation on a de Sitter brane embedded in five-dimensional anti-de Sitter bulk spacetime, extending previous calculations in Randall-Sundrum type cosmology to include the effect of induced gravity corrections on the brane. These corrections arise via a term in the brane action that is proportional to the brane Ricci scalar. We find that, as in the Randall-Sundrum case, there is a mass gap between the discrete zero-mode and a continuum of massive bulk modes, which are too heavy to be excited during inflation. We give the normalization of the zero-mode as a function of the Hubble rate on the brane and are thus able to calculate the high energy correction to the spectrum of gravitational wave (tensor) modes excited on large scales during inflation from initial vacuum fluctuations on small scales. We also calculate the amplitude of density (scalar) perturbations expected due to inflaton fluctuations on the brane, and show that the usual four-dimensional consistency relation for the tensor/scalar ratio remains valid for brane inflation with induced gravity corrections.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

2-point functions in quantum cosmology

We discuss the path-integral formulation of quantum cosmology with a massless scalar field as a sum-over-histories, with particular reference to loop quantum cosmology. Exploiting the analogy with the relativistic particle, we give a complete overview of the possible two-point functions, deriving vertex expansions and composition laws they satisfy. We clarify the tie between definitions using a group averaging procedure and those in a deparametrised framework. We draw some conclusions about the physics of a single quantum universe and multiverse field theories where the role of these sectors and the inner product are reinterpreted.Comment: 4 pages, based on a talk given at Loops '11, Madrid, to appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS

Flow equations in generalized braneworld scenarios

We discuss the flow equations in the context of general braneworld cosmologies with a modified Friedmann equation, for either an ordinary scalar field or a Dirac-Born-Infeld tachyon as inflaton candidates. The 4D, Randall-Sundrum, and Gauss-Bonnet cases are compared, using the patch formalism which provides a unified description of these models. The inflationary dynamics is described by a tower of flow parameters that can be evolved in time to select a particular subset of points in the space of cosmological observables. We analyze the stability of the fixed points in all the cosmologies (our results in the 4D case already extending those in the literature). Numerical integration of the flow equations shows that the predictions of the Gauss-Bonnet braneworld differ significantly as compared to the Randall-Sundrum and 4D scenarios, whereas tachyon inflation gives tensor perturbations smaller than those in the presence of a normal scalar field. These results are extended to the realization of a noncommutative space-time preserving maximal symmetry. In this case the tensor-to-scalar signal is unchanged, while blue-tilted spectra are favoured.Comment: 10 pages RevTeX4 with 3 figures included. Matches published version. Note change of title from original submissio