685 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
Creating Statistically Anisotropic and Inhomogeneous Perturbations
In almost all structure formation models, primordial perturbations are
created within a homogeneous and isotropic universe, like the one we observe.
Because their ensemble averages inherit the symmetries of the spacetime in
which they are seeded, cosmological perturbations then happen to be
statistically isotropic and homogeneous. Certain anomalies in the cosmic
microwave background on the other hand suggest that perturbations do not
satisfy these statistical properties, thereby challenging perhaps our
understanding of structure formation. In this article we relax this tension. We
show that if the universe contains an appropriate triad of scalar fields with
spatially constant but non-zero gradients, it is possible to generate
statistically anisotropic and inhomogeneous primordial perturbations, even
though the energy momentum tensor of the triad itself is invariant under
translations and rotations.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figure. Uses RevTeX
DSR as an explanation of cosmological structure
Deformed special relativity (DSR) is one of the possible realizations of a
varying speed of light (VSL). It deforms the usual quadratic dispersion
relations so that the speed of light becomes energy dependent, with preferred
frames avoided by postulating a non-linear representation of the Lorentz group.
The theory may be used to induce a varying speed of sound capable of generating
(near) scale-invariant density fluctuations, as discussed in a recent Letter.
We identify the non-linear representation of the Lorentz group that leads to
scale-invariance, finding a universal result. We also examine the higher order
field theory that could be set up to represent it
Near Scale Invariance with Modified Dispersion Relations
We describe a novel mechanism to seed a nearly scale invariant spectrum of
adiabatic perturbations during a non-inflationary stage. It relies on a
modified dispersion relation that contains higher powers of the spatial
momentum of matter perturbations. We implement this idea in the context of a
massless scalar field in an otherwise perfectly homogeneous universe. The
couplings of the field to background scalars and tensors give rise to the
required modification of its dispersion relation, and the couplings of the
scalar to matter result in an adiabatic primordial spectrum. This work is meant
to explicitly illustrate that it is possible to seed nearly scale invariant
primordial spectra without inflation, within a conventional expansion history.Comment: 7 pages and no figures. Uses RevTeX
The four fixed points of scale invariant single field cosmological models
We introduce a new set of flow parameters to describe the time dependence of
the equation of state and the speed of sound in single field cosmological
models. A scale invariant power spectrum is produced if these flow parameters
satisfy specific dynamical equations. We analyze the flow of these parameters
and find four types of fixed points that encompass all known single field
models. Moreover, near each fixed point we uncover new models where the scale
invariance of the power spectrum relies on having simultaneously time varying
speed of sound and equation of state. We describe several distinctive new
models and discuss constraints from strong coupling and superluminality.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure
CMB constraints on noncommutative geometry during inflation
We investigate the primordial power spectrum of the density perturbations
based on the assumption that spacetime is noncommutative in the early stage of
inflation. Due to the spacetime noncommutativity, the primordial power spectrum
can lose rotational invariance. Using the k-inflation model and slow-roll
approximation, we show that the deviation from rotational invariance of the
primordial power spectrum depends on the size of noncommutative length scale
L_s but not on sound speed. We constrain the contributions from the spacetime
noncommutativity to the covariance matrix for the harmonic coefficients of the
CMB anisotropies using five-year WMAP CMB maps. We find that the upper bound
for L_s depends on the product of sound speed and slow-roll parameter.
Estimating this product using cosmological parameters from the five-year WMAP
results, the upper bound for L_s is estimated to be less than 10^{-27} cm at
99.7% confidence level.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, References added, Accepted for publication in EPJC
(submitted version
Scale Invariance from Modified Dispersion Relations
In this paper, inspired by the investigations on the theory of cosmological
perturbations in Ho\v{r}ava-Liftshit cosmology, we calculated the spectrum of
primordial perturbation leaded by a scalar field with modified dispersion
relation \omega\sim k^z/a^{p-1}, in which z is the critical exponent and p is
generally not equal to z. We discussed that for fixed z, if the spectrum is
required to be scale invariant, how should p depend on the background
evolution. We concluded that there is always a room of parameters for the
generation of scale invariant spectrum.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Cyclic Universe with Quintom matter in Loop Quantum Cosmology
In this paper, we study the possibility of model building of cyclic universe
with Quintom matter in the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology. After a general
demonstration, we provide two examples, one with double-fluid and another
double-scalar field, to show how such a scenario is obtained. Analytical and
numerical calculations are both presented in the paper.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
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
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