Chaotic Inflation with Time-Variable Space Dimensions

Assuming the space dimension is not constant but decreases during the expansion of the Universe, we study chaotic inflation with the potential $m^2\phi^2/2$. Our investigations are based on a model Universe with variable space dimensions. We write down field equations in the slow-roll approximation, and define slow-roll parameters by assuming the number of space dimensions decreases continuously as the Universe expands. The dynamical character of the space dimension shifts the initial and final value of the inflaton field to larger values. We obtain an upper limit for the space dimension at the Planck length. This result is in agreement with previous works for the effective time variation of the Newtonian gravitational constant in a model Universe with variable space dimensions.Comment: 19 pages, To be published in Int.J.Mod.Phys.D. Minor changes to match accepted versio

Perturbations in a non-singular bouncing Universe

We complement the low-energy gravi-dilaton effective action of string theory with a non-local, general-covariant dilaton potential, and obtain homogeneous solutions describing a non-singular (bouncing-curvature) cosmology. We then compute, both analytically and numerically, the spectrum of amplified scalar and tensor perturbations, and draw some general lessons on how to extract observable consequences from pre-big bang and ekpyrotic scenarios.Comment: 14 pages in Latex style, 5 included figure

Generating the curvature perturbation at the end of inflation

The dominant contribution to the primordial curvature perturbation may be generated at the end of inflation. Taking the end of inflation to be sudden, formulas are presented for the spectrum, spectral tilt and non-gaussianity. They are evaluated for a minimal extension of the original hybrid inflation model.Comment: 5 pages. v3: as it will appear in JCA

Cosmological perturbations across a curvature bounce

String-inspired cosmologies, whereby a non-singular curvature bounce is induced by a general-covariant, $T$-duality-invariant, non-local dilaton potential, are used to study numerically how inhomogeneities evolve and to compare the outcome with analytic expressions obtained through different matching conditions across the bounce. Good agreement is found if continuity across the bounce is assumed to hold for $\cal{R}$, the curvature perturbation on comoving hypersurfaces, rather than for the Bardeen potential.Comment: 36 pages, 5 included figure

Observational constraints on the spectral index of the cosmological curvature perturbation

We evaluate the observational constraints on the spectral index $n$, in the context of the $\Lambda$CDM hypothesis which represents the simplest viable cosmology. We first take $n$ to be practically scale-independent. Ignoring reionization, we find at a nominal 2-$\sigma$ level $n\simeq 1.0 \pm 0.1$. If we make the more realisitic assumption that reionization occurs when a fraction $f\sim 10^{-5}$ to 1 of the matter has collapsed, the 2-$\sigma$ lower bound is unchanged while the 1-$\sigma$ bound rises slightly. These constraints are compared with the prediction of various inflation models. Then we investigate the two-parameter scale-dependent spectral index, predicted by running-mass inflation models, and find that present data allow significant scale-dependence of $n$, which occurs in a physically reasonable regime of parameter space.Comment: ReVTeX, 15 pages, 5 figures and 3 tables, uses epsf.sty Improved treatment of reionization and small bug fixed in the constant n case; more convenient parameterization and better treatment of the n dependence in the CMB anisotropy for the running mass case; conclusions basically unchanged; references adde

Revisiting Cosmic No-Hair Theorem for Inflationary Settings

In this work we revisit Wald's cosmic no-hair theorem in the context of accelerating Bianchi cosmologies for a generic cosmic fluid with non-vanishing anisotropic stress tensor and when the fluid energy momentum tensor is of the form of a cosmological constant term plus a piece which does not respect strong or dominant energy conditions. Such a fluid is the one appearing in inflationary models. We show that for such a system anisotropy may grow, in contrast to the cosmic no-hair conjecture. In particular, for a generic inflationary model we show that there is an upper bound on the growth of anisotropy. For slow-roll inflationary models our analysis can be refined further and the upper bound is found to be of the order of slow-roll parameters. We examine our general discussions and our extension of Wald's theorem for three classes of slow-roll inflationary models, generic multi-scalar field driven models, anisotropic models involving U(1) gauge fields and the gauge-flation scenario.Comment: 21 pp, 4 .eps figure

Particle physics models of inflation

Inflation models are compared with observation on the assumption that the curvature perturbation is generated from the vacuum fluctuation of the inflaton field. The focus is on single-field models with canonical kinetic terms, classified as small- medium- and large-field according to the variation of the inflaton field while cosmological scales leave the horizon. Small-field models are constructed according to the usual paradigm for beyond Standard Model physicsComment: Based on a talk given at the 22nd IAP Colloquium, ``Inflation +25'', Paris, June 2006 Curve omitted from final Figur

Adiabatic Modes in Cosmology

We show that the field equations for cosmological perturbations in Newtonian gauge always have an adiabatic solution, for which a quantity ${\cal R}$ is non-zero and constant in all eras in the limit of large wavelength, so that it can be used to connect observed cosmological fluctuations in this mode with those at very early times. There is also a second adiabatic mode, for which ${\cal R}$ vanishes for large wavelength, and in general there may be non-adiabatic modes as well. These conclusions apply in all eras and whatever the constituents of the universe, under only a mild technical assumption about the wavelength dependence of the field equations for large wave length. In the absence of anisotropic inertia, the perturbations in the adiabatic modes are given for large wavelength by universal formulas in terms of the Robertson--Walker scale factor. We discuss an apparent discrepancy between these results and what appears to be a conservation law in all modes found for large wavelength in synchronous gauge: it turns out that, although equivalent, synchronous and Newtonian gauges suggest inequivalent assumptions about the behavior of the perturbations for large wavelength.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, no special macro

Affleck-Dine baryogenesis in inflating curvaton scenario with O(10−10210-10^2TeV) mass moduli curvaton

We study the Affleck-Dine (AD) baryogenesis in the inflating curvaton scenario, when the curvaton is a moduli field with O($10-10^2$TeV) mass. A moduli field with such mass is known to be free from the Polonyi problem, and furthermore its decay products can explain the present cold dark matter abundance. In our scenario, it further explains the primordial curvature perturbation and the present baryon density all together. The current observational bound on the baryon isocurvature perturbation, which severely constrains the AD baryogenesis with the original oscillating moduli curvaton scenario, is shown to put practically negligible constraint if we replace the oscillating curvaton with the inflating curvaton.Comment: 1+21pages v2: minor correction v3: included short reviews, added refs, fixed typo

Inflation from Supersymmetric Quantum Cosmology

We derive a special scalar field potential using the anisotropic Bianchi type I cosmological model from canonical quantum cosmology under determined conditions in the evolution to anisotropic variables $\beta_\pm$. In the process, we obtain a family of potentials that has been introduced by hand in the literature to explain cosmological data. Considering supersymmetric quantum cosmology, this family is scanned, fixing the exponential potential as more viable in the inflation scenario $\rm V (\phi) = V_0 \,e^{-\sqrt{3}\phi}$.Comment: 14 pages, latex2e, To appear in Phys. Rev.