Conformal couplings of Galileons to other degrees of freedom

We discuss a formulation of Galileon actions in terms of matrix determinants in four dimensions. This approach allows one to straightforwardly determine derivative couplings between Galileons and scalar or vector degrees of freedom that lead to equations of motion with at most two space-time derivatives. We use this method to easily build generalizations of Galileon set-ups preserving conformal symmetry, finding explicit examples of couplings between Galileons and additional degrees of freedom that preserve the Galileon conformal invariance. We discuss various physical applications of our method and of our results.Comment: 11 pages, no figures. v2: JHEP versio

Symmetries for scalarless scalar theories

We consider theories containing scalar fields interacting with vector or with tensor degrees of freedom, equipped with symmetries that prevent the propagation of linearized scalar excitations around solutions of the equations of motion. We first study the implications of such symmetries for building vector theories that break Abelian gauge invariance without necessarily exciting longitudinal scalar fluctuations in flat space. We then examine scalar-tensor theories in curved space, and relate the symmetries we consider with a non-linear realization of broken space-time symmetries acting on scalar modes. We determine sufficient conditions on the space-time geometry to avoid the propagation of scalar fluctuations. We analyze linearized perturbations around spherically symmetric black holes, proving the absence of scalar excitations, and pointing out modifications in the dynamics of spin-2 fluctuations with respect to Einstein gravity. We then study consequences of this set-up for the dark energy problem, determining scalar constraints on cosmological configurations that can lead to self-accelerating universes whose expansion is insensitive to the value of the bare cosmological constant.Comment: 27 pages. References added, to appear in PR

Extended scalar-tensor theories of gravity

We study new consistent scalar-tensor theories of gravity recently introduced by Langlois and Noui with potentially interesting cosmological applications. We derive the conditions for the existence of a primary constraint that prevents the propagation of an additional dangerous mode associated with higher order equations of motion. We then classify the most general, consistent scalar-tensor theories that are at most quadratic in the second derivatives of the scalar field. In addition, we investigate the possible connection between these theories and (beyond) Horndeski through conformal and disformal transformations. Finally, we point out that these theories can be associated with new operators in the effective field theory of dark energy, which might open up new possibilities to test dark energy models in future surveys

Large |η| approach to single field inflation

Single field models of inflation capable of producing primordial black holes usually require a significant departure from the standard, perturbative slow-roll regime. In fact, in many of these scenarios, the size of the slow-roll parameter |η| becomes larger than one during a short phase of inflationary evolution. In order to develop an analytical control on these systems, we explore the limit of |η| large, and promote 1/|η| to a small quantity to be used for perturbative expansions. Formulas simplify, and we obtain analytic expressions for the two and three point functions of curvature fluctuations, which share some of the features found in realistic inflationary models generating primordial black holes. We study one-loop corrections in this framework: we discuss criteria for adsorbing ultraviolet divergences into the available parameters, leaving log-enhanced infrared contributions of controllable size

Stochastic approach to gravitational waves from inflation

We propose a coarse-graining procedure for describing the superhorizon dynamics of inflationary tensor modes. Our aim is to formulate a stochastic description for the statistics of spin-2 modes which seed the background of gravitational waves from inflation. Using basic principles of quantum mechanics, we determine a probability density for coarse-grained tensor fields, which satisfies a stochastic Fokker-Planck equation at superhorizon scales. The corresponding noise and drift are computable, and depend on the cosmological system under consideration. Our general formulas are applied to a variety of cosmological scenarios, also considering cases seldom considered in the context of stochastic inflation, and which are important for their observational consequences. We start obtaining the expected expressions for noise and drift in pure de Sitter and power-law inflation, also including a discussion of effects of non-attractor phases. We then apply our methods to describe scenarios with a transition from inflation to standard cosmological eras of radiation and matter domination. We show how the interference between modes flowing through the cosmological horizon, and modes spontaneously produced at superhorizon scales, can affect the stochastic evolution of coarse-grained tensor quantities. In appropriate limits, we find that the corresponding spectrum of tensor modes at horizon crossing matches with the results of quantum field theory calculations, but we also highlight where differences can arise.Comment: 27 pages, 2 figure

Kinematic anisotropies and pulsar timing arrays

Doppler anisotropies, induced by our relative motion with respect to the source rest frame, are a guaranteed property of stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds of cosmological origin. If detected by future pulsar timing array measurements, they will provide interesting information on the physics sourcing gravitational waves, which is hard or even impossible to extract from measurements of the isotropic part of the background only. We analytically determine the pulsar response function to kinematic anisotropies, including possible effects due to parity violation, to features in the frequency dependence of the isotropic part of the spectrum, as well as to the presence of extra scalar and vector polarizations. For the first time, we show how the sensitivity to different effects crucially depends on the pulsar configuration with respect to the relative motion among frames. Correspondingly, we propose examples of strategies of detection, each aimed at exploiting future measurements of kinematic anisotropies for characterizing distinct features of the cosmological gravitational wave background.Comment: 18+10 pages, 6 figure

Analytic approach to non-slow-roll inflation

In order to produce primordial black holes, or to enhance the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves at interferometer scales, cosmological inflation should include brief periods of nonattractor evolution, with departures from slow-roll conditions. To better understand these systems we develop a model independent, analytic approach to study cosmological fluctuations in single field inflationary models with short periods of slow-roll violation. We Taylor expand the equations for fluctuations in a quantity parametrizing the duration of slow-roll violation, and find solutions at leading order in this quantity. The resulting spectrum of perturbations is described by few parameters, and presents a pronounced dip followed by a rapid growth in amplitude, as typically found in numerical as well as analytical studies of similar scenarios. We determine new analytic relations between the position and depth of the dip, and the maximal enhancement of the spectrum toward small scales. For a single epoch of slow-roll violation we confirm previous studies finding that the steepest slope of the spectrum has spectral index ns−1=4. On the other hand, when considering multiple phases of slow-roll violation, the slope of the spectrum is generally enhanced. When two epochs of slow-roll violation occur, the spectral index can reach the value ns−1=8, indicating that the slope of the spectrum has memory of the history of non-slow-roll phases during inflation