UV physics and the speed of sound during inflation

We consider inflation as an effective field theory and study the effects of the addition to the Lagrangian of irrelevant operators with higher powers of first derivatives on its dynamics and observables. We find that significant deviations from the two-derivative dynamics are possible within the regime of validity of the effective field theory. Focusing on monomial potentials we show that the main effect of the terms under consideration is to reduce the speed of sound thereby reducing the tensor fraction, while having little impact on the scalar tilt. Crucially, these effects can arise even when the UV cut-off is well above the inflationary Hubble parameter

Optimal reconstruction systems for erasures and for the q-potential

We introduce the $q$-potential as an extension of the Benedetto-Fickus frame potential, defined on general reconstruction systems and we show that protocols are the minimizers of this potential under certain restrictions. We extend recent results of B.G. Bodmann on the structure of optimal protocols with respect to 1 and 2 lost packets where the worst (normalized) reconstruction error is computed with respect to a compatible unitarily invariant norm. We finally describe necessary and sufficient (spectral) conditions, that we call $q$-fundamental inequalities, for the existence of protocols with prescribed properties by relating this problem to Klyachko's and Fulton's theory on sums of hermitian operators

The impact on cosmology of a primordial scaling field

A scalar field with an exponential potential has the particular property that it is attracted into a solution in which its energy scales as the dominant component (radiation or matter) of the Universe, contributing a fixed fraction of the total energy density. We briefly discuss the dynamics of such a scalar field and its impact on Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the growth of large scale structure and abundance of damped Lyman$-\alpha$ systems at high redshift. Given the simplicity of the model, its theoretical motivation, and its success in matching observations, we argue that it should be taken on par with other currently viable models of structure formation.Comment: 3 pages, uses prcrc.sty, 2 figures, to be published in proceedings of Dark Matter '9

Melanosuchus, M. niger

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Ricci focusing, shearing, and the expansion rate in an almost homogeneous Universe

The Universe is inhomogeneous, and yet it seems to be incredibly well-characterised by a homogeneous relativistic model. One of the current challenges is to accurately characterise the properties of such a model. In this paper we explore how inhomogeneities may affect the overall optical properties of the Universe by quantifying how they can bias the redshift-distance relation in a number of toy models that mimic the real Universe. The models that we explore are statistically homogeneous on large scales. We find that the effect of inhomogeneities is of order of a few percent, which can be quite important in precise estimation of cosmological parameters. We discuss what lessons can be learned to help us tackle a more realistic inhomogeneous universe.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figure