The Embedding of Superstring Backgrounds in Einstein Gravity

A theorem of differential geometry is employed to locally embed a wide class of superstring backgrounds that admit a covariantly constant null Killing vector field in eleven-dimensional, Ricci-flat spaces. Included in this class are exact type IIB superstring backgrounds with non-trivial Ramond-Ramond fields and a class of supersymmetric string waves. The embedding spaces represent exact solutions to eleven-dimensional, vacuum Einstein gravity. A solution of eleven-dimensional supergravity is also embedded in a twelve--dimensional, Ricci-flat space.Comment: 14 pages, Latex sourc

Primordial non-gaussianities in single field inflation

We calculate the three-point function for primordial scalar fluctuations in a single field inflationary scenario where the scalar field Lagrangian is a completely general function of the field and its first derivative. We obtain an explicit expression for the three-point correlation function in a self-consistent approximation scheme where the expansion rate varies slowly, analogous to the slow-roll limit in standard, single-field inflation. The three-point function can be written in terms of the familiar slow-roll parameters and three new parameters which measure the non-trivial kinetic structure of the scalar field, the departure of the sound speed from the speed of light, and the rate of change of the sound speed.Comment: 26 pages, uses iopart.cls. Updated to match version published in JCA

Dualities and Hidden Supersymmetry in String Quantum Cosmology

A supersymmetric approach to string quantum cosmology based on the non-compact, global duality symmetries of the effective action is developed. An N=2 supersymmetric action is derived whose bosonic component is the Neveu-Schwarz/Neveu-Schwarz sector of the $(d+1)$--dimensional effective action compactified on a $d$--torus. A representation for the supercharges is found and the form of the zero-and one-fermion quantum states is determined. The purely bosonic component of the wavefunction is unique and manifestly invariant under the symmetry of the action. The formalism applies to a wide class of non-linear sigma-models.Comment: 18 pages, plain Latex, no figure

Primordial non-gaussianities from multiple-field inflation

We calculate the three-point correlation function evaluated at horizon crossing for a set of interacting scalar fields coupled to gravity during inflation. This provides the initial condition for the three-point function of the curvature perturbation in the Sasaki--Stewart \delta N formulation. We find that the effect is small, of the order of a slow-roll parameter, and that the non-gaussianity can be determined on large scales once the unperturbed background evolution is known. As an example of the use of our formalism, we calculate the primordial non-gaussianity arising in a model of assisted inflation.Comment: 24 pages, JCAP LaTeX style; replaced with version accepted by JCAP. Some corrections to Sections 2 and 5, conclusions unchange

Primordial Non-Gaussianity and Gravitational Waves: Observational Tests of Brane Inflation in String Theory

We study brane inflation scenarios in a warped throat geometry and show that there exists a consistency condition between the non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbation and the amplitude and scale-dependence of the primordial gravitational waves. This condition is independent of the warping of the throat and the form of the inflaton potential. We find that such a relation could be tested by a future CMB polarization experiment if the Planck satellite is able to detect both a gravitational wave background and a non-Gaussian statistic. In models where the observable stage of inflation occurs when the brane is in the tip region of the throat, we derive a further consistency condition involving the scalar spectral index, the tensor-scalar ratio and the curvature perturbation bispectrum. We show that when such a relation is combined with the WMAP3 results, it leads to a model-independent bound on the gravitational wave amplitude given by 0.001 < r < 0.01. This corresponds to the range of sensitivity of the next generation of CMB polarization experiments.Comment: 7 pages, uses RevTeX4. v2, replaced with version accepted by Phys. Rev.