Multiple quantum collapse of the inflaton field and its implications on the birth of cosmic structure

Abstract

The standard inflationary account for the origin of cosmic structure is, without a doubt, extremely successful. However, it is not fully satisfactory as has been argued in Perez et al (2006 Class. Quantum Grav. 23 2317). The central point is that, in the standard accounts, the inhomogeneity and anisotropy of our universe seem to emerge, unexplained, from an exactly homogeneous and isotropic initial state through processes that do not break those symmetries. The proposal made there to address this shortcoming calls for a dynamical and self-induced quantum collapse of the original homogeneous and isotropic state of the inflaton. In this paper, we consider the possibility of a multiplicity of collapses in each one of the modes of the quantum field. As we will see, the results are sensitive to a more detailed characterization of the collapse than those studied in the previous works, and in this regard two simple options will be studied. We find important constraints on the model, most remarkably on the number of possible collapses for each mode.