10,359 research outputs found
Constraints on Primordial Magnetic Fields from Inflation
We present generic bounds on magnetic fields produced from cosmic inflation.
By investigating field bounds on the vector potential, we constrain both the
quantum mechanical production of magnetic fields and their classical growth in
a model independent way. For classical growth, we show that only if the
reheating temperature is as low as T_{reh} <~ 10^2 MeV can magnetic fields of
10^{-15} G be produced on Mpc scales in the present universe. For purely
quantum mechanical scenarios, even stronger constraints are derived. Our bounds
on classical and quantum mechanical scenarios apply to generic theories of
inflationary magnetogenesis with a two-derivative time kinetic term for the
vector potential. In both cases, the magnetic field strength is limited by the
gravitational back-reaction of the electric fields that are produced
simultaneously. As an example of quantum mechanical scenarios, we construct
vector field theories whose time diffeomorphisms are spontaneously broken, and
explore magnetic field generation in theories with a variable speed of light.
Transitions of quantum vector field fluctuations into classical fluctuations
are also analyzed in the examples.Comment: 26 pages, v2: published in JCA
Testing Split Supersymmetry with Inflation
Split supersymmetry (SUSY) -- in which SUSY is relevant to our universe but
largely inaccessible at current accelerators -- has become increasingly
plausible given the absence of new physics at the LHC, the success of gauge
coupling unification, and the observed Higgs mass. Indirect probes of split
SUSY such as electric dipole moments (EDMs) and flavor violation offer hope for
further evidence but are ultimately limited in their reach. Inflation offers an
alternate window into SUSY through the direct production of superpartners
during inflation. These particles are capable of leaving imprints in future
cosmological probes of primordial non-gaussianity. Given the recent
observations of BICEP2, the scale of inflation is likely high enough to probe
the full range of split SUSY scenarios and therefore offers a unique advantage
over low energy probes. The key observable for future experiments is
equilateral non-gaussianity, which will be probed by both cosmic microwave
background (CMB) and large scale structure (LSS) surveys. In the event of a
detection, we forecast our ability to find evidence for superpartners through
the scaling behavior in the squeezed limit of the bispectrum.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure
Reheating Closed String Inflation
Protecting the inflationary potential from quantum corrections typically
requires symmetries that constrain the form of couplings of the inflaton to
other sectors. We will explore how these restrictions affect reheating in
models with UV completions. In particular, we look at how reheating occurs when
inflation is governed by closed strings, using N-flation as an example. We find
that coupling the inflaton preferentially to the Standard Model is difficult,
and hidden sectors are typically reheated. Observational constraints are only
met by a fraction of the models. In some working models, relativistic relics in
the hidden sector provide dark matter candidates with masses that range from
keV to PeV, with lighter masses being preferred.Comment: 17 pages, v2: fixed typos and added refs, v3: fixed typos, added refs
and title chang
B-modes and the Nature of Inflation
Observations of the cosmic microwave background do not yet determine whether
inflation was driven by a slowly-rolling scalar field or involved another
physical mechanism. In this paper we discuss the prospects of using the power
spectra of scalar and tensor modes to probe the nature of inflation. We focus
on the leading modification to the slow-roll dynamics, which entails a sound
speed for the scalar fluctuations. We derive analytically a lower bound
on in terms of a given tensor-to-scalar ratio , taking into account
the difference in the freeze-out times between the scalar and tensor modes. We
find that any detection of primordial B-modes with implies a lower
bound on that is stronger than the bound derived from the absence of
non-Gaussianity in the Planck data. For , the bound would be
tantalizingly close to a critical value for the sound speed, (corresponding to ), which we
show serves as a threshold for non-trivial dynamics beyond slow-roll. We also
discuss how an order-one level of equilateral non-Gaussianity is a natural
observational target for other extensions of the canonical paradigm.Comment: 25+7 pages, 9 figures. Published versio
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