Curvature Perturbation Research Articles

Renormalized primordial black holes

The formation of primordial black holes in the early universe may happen through the collapse of large curvature perturbations generated during a non-attractor phase of inflation or through a curvaton-like dynamics after inflation. The fact that such small-scale curvature perturbation is typically non-Gaussian leads to the renormalization of composite operators built up from the smoothed density contrast and entering in the calculation of the primordial black abundance. Such renormalization causes the phenomenon of operator mixing and the appearance of an infinite tower of local, non-local and higher-derivative operators as well as to a sizable shift in the threshold for primordial black hole formation. This hints that the calculation of the primordial black hole abundance is more involved than what generally assumed. We show the impact of this phenomenon in a perturbatively non-gaussian scenario, giving also an estimate of its effect on the threshold for primordial black hole formation.

Non-Gaussian tails without stochastic inflation

We show, both analytically andnumerically,thatnon-Gaussian tails in the probability density function of curvature perturbations arise in ultra-slow-roll inflation from the δN formalism, without invoking stochastic inflation. Previously reported discrepancies between both approaches are a consequence of not correctly accounting for momentum perturbations. Once they are taken into account, both approaches agree to an excellent degree. The shape of the tail depends strongly on the phase space of inflation.

Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations

The propagation speed of gravitational waves is a fundamental issue in gravitational theory. According to general relativity, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light. However, alternative theories of gravity propose modifications to general relativity, including variations in the speed of gravitational waves. In this paper, we investigate scalar-induced gravitational waves that propagate at speeds different from the speed of light. First, we analytically calculate the power spectrum of scalar induced gravitational waves based on the speed and spectrum of primordial curvature perturbations. We then explore several scalar power spectra, deriving corresponding fractional energy densities, including monochromatic spectrum, scale-invariant spectrum, and power-law spectrum. Finally, we constrain scalar-induced gravitational waves and evaluate the signatures of their speed from the combination of CMB+BAO and gravitational wave observations. Our numerical results clearly illustrate the influence of the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves.

Analyzing inflationary parameters and swampland conjectures of modified cosmology according to various entropies

This paper investigates the inflationary phase of the FRW universe within the context of generalized Chaplygin gas. We explore modified cosmological scenarios incorporating two entropy corrections, namely Tsallis and Barrow. These proposed entropies lead to modifications in the Friedmann equations. By incorporating the generalized Chaplygin gas into these equations, we determine various parameters including the slow roll parameters, number of e-folds, curvature perturbation, tensor-to-scalar ratio, and spectral index. We observe variations in the values of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and the scalar spectral index ns with respect to the Tsallis and Barrow parameters. Additionally, we plot the r−ns plane. For the Tsallis entropy, we obtain r≤0.012, r≤0.027, and r≤0.008, with ns lying between (0.961,0.964), (0.957,0.966), and (0.956,0.964), respectively. In Barrow cosmology, we find r≤0.0037, r≤0.12, and r≤0.010, while ns falls within (0.92,0.97), (0.855,0.995), and (0.960,0.966) for the chaotic, SFI, and exponential potentials, respectively. These graphical analyses demonstrate the compatibility of our models with the latest Planck data. Moreover, by considering these entropy corrections, we determine the bounds of the Swampland de Sitter conjecture for generalized Chaplygin gas. In all cases, this bound remains less than unity, satisfying the required condition for the Swampland de Sitter conjecture.

Multiple peaks in gravitational waves induced from primordial curvature perturbations with non-Gaussianity

First-order primordial curvature perturbations are known to induce gravitational waves at the second-order, which can in turn probe the small-scale curvature perturbations near the end of the inflation. In this work, we extend the previous analysis in the Gaussian case into the non-Gaussian case, with particular efforts to obtain some thumb rules of sandwiching the associated peaks in gravitational waves induced from multiple peaks of non-Gaussian curvature perturbations.

Superhorizon Curvature Perturbations Are Protected against One-Loop Corrections.

We examine one-loop corrections from small-scale curvature perturbations to the superhorizon-limit ones in single-field inflation models, which have recently caused controversy. We consider the case where the Universe experiences transitions of slow-roll (SR)→intermediate period→SR. The intermediate period can be an ultra-slow-roll period or a resonant amplification period, either of which enhances small-scale curvature perturbations. We assume that the superhorizon curvature perturbations are conserved at least during each of the SR periods. Within this framework, we show that the superhorizon curvature perturbations during the first and the second SR periods coincide at one-loop level in the slow-roll limit.

Cosmological Bell tests with decoherence effects

The inflationary universe creates particle pairs, which are entangled in their momenta due to momentum conservation. Operators involving the momenta of the fluctuations can be rewritten into pseudo-spin operators, such as the Gour-Khanna-Mann-Revzen (GKMR) pseudo-spin. Making use of these pseudo-spin operators, cosmological Bell inequalities can be formulated. The violation of these Bell inequalities indicates the quantum nature of primordial fluctuations.In this work, we focus on primordial curvature perturbations. Since curvature perturbations arise from gravity, their action includes the Gibbons-Hawking-York boundary term. We clarify the role of the boundary term in selecting suitable initial conditions for linear perturbations.After that, we proceed to the interactions of cosmological perturbations, including the bulk and boundary interaction terms, which introduce decoherence effects. These decoherence effects change the expectation value of the Bell operator, and gradually restore the Bell inequality. We describe this process by a “Bell test curve”, which offers a window around 5 e-folds for testing the quantum origin of cosmological perturbations. We also explore the possibility of extracting the information of the decoherence rate and the structure of primordial interactions from the Bell test curve.

Comparing sharp and smooth transitions of the second slow-roll parameter in single-field inflation

In single-field inflation, violation of the slow-roll approximation can lead to growth of curvature perturbation outside the horizon. This violation is characterized by a period with a large negative value of the second slow-roll parameter. At an early time, inflation must satisfy the slow-roll approximation, so the large-scale curvature perturbation can explain the cosmic microwave background fluctuations. At intermediate time, it is viable to have a theory that violates the slow-roll approximation, which implies amplification of the curvature perturbation on small scales. Specifically, we consider ultraslow-roll inflation as the intermediate period. At late time, inflation should go back to the slow roll period so that it can end. This means that there are two transitions of the second slow-roll parameter. In this paper, we compare two different possibilities for the second transition: sharp and smooth transitions. Focusing on effects generated by the relevant cubic self-interaction of the curvature perturbation, we find that the bispectrum and one-loop correction to the power spectrum due to the change of the second slow-roll parameter vanish if and only if theMukhanov-Sasaki equation for perturbation satisfies a specific condition called Wands duality.We also find in the case of sharp transition that, even though this duality is satisfied in the ultraslow-roll and slow-roll phases, it is severely violated at the transition so that the resultant one-loop correction is extremely large inversely proportional to the duration of the transition.

Correlated scalar perturbations and gravitational waves from axion inflation

Abstract The scalar and tensor fluctuations generated during inflation can be correlated, if arising from the same underlying mechanism. In this paper we investigate such correlation in the model of axion inflation, where the rolling inflaton produces quanta of a U(1) gauge field which, in turn, source scalar and tensor fluctuations. We compute the primordial correlator of the curvature perturbation, ζ, with the gravitational energy density, Ω GW , at frequencies probed by gravitational wave detectors. This two-point function receives two contributions: one arising from the correlation of gravitational waves with the scalar perturbations generated by the standard mechanism of amplification of vacuum fluctuations, and the other coming from the correlation of gravitational waves with the scalar perturbations sourced by the gauge field. Our analysis shows that the former effect is generally dominant. For typical values of the parameters, the correlator, normalized by the amplitude of ζ and by the fractional energy in gravitational waves at interferometer frequencies, turns out to be of the order of 10-4 ÷ 10-2.

Self-resonance during preheating: The case of [formula omitted]-attractor models

In this paper, for the first time, we obtain a new class of solutions for the Hill-type differential equations, which emerge in the preheating self-resonance phase of the expanding Universe. We study, in particular, the class of symmetric and asymmetric scalar field potentials coming from the so-called α-attractor models of the early Universe cosmology. By making a series expansion of the potential and employing perturbative techniques we reformulate the Mukhanov–Sasaki equation, which captures the dynamics of the curvature perturbation in these models, into a Hill equation. This last includes higher-order terms that were never solved in the literature. Namely, those coming from the cubic and quartic contributions of the scalar field potential. Then, we derive the expressions for the Floquet exponents of the Mukhanov–Sasaki variable. Our analytical results are then compared with numerical computations, showing a good agreement and thus making this method valuable for obtaining theoretical predictions with new observational applications in the contexts of Primordial Black Holes and Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves.

Curbing PBHs with PTAs

Sizeable primordial curvature perturbations needed to seed a population of primordial black holes (PBHs) will be accompanied by a scalar-induced gravitational wave signal that can be detectable by pulsar timing arrays (PTA). We derive conservative bounds on the amplitude of the scalar power spectrum at the PTA frequencies and estimate the implied constraints on the PBH abundance. We show that only a small fraction of dark matter can consist of stellar mass PBHs when the abundance is calculated using threshold statistics. The strength and the shape of the constraint depend on the shape of the power spectrum and the nature of the non-Gaussianities. We find that constraints on the PBH abundance arise in the mass range 0.1-103 M ⊙, with the sub-solar mass range being constrained only for narrow curvature power spectra. These constraints are softened when positive non-Gaussianity is introduced and can be eliminated when f NL ≳ 5. On the other hand, if the PBH abundance is computed via the theory of peaks, the PTA constraints on PBHs are significantly relaxed, signalling once more the theoretical uncertainties in assessing the PBH abundance.We further discuss how strong positive non-Gaussianites can allow for heavy PBHs to potentially seed supermassive BHs.

Primordial black holes and scalar-induced gravitational waves in radiative hybrid inflation

We study the possibility that primordial black holes (PBHs) can be formed from large curvature perturbations generated during the waterfall phase transition due to the effects of one-loop radiative corrections of Yukawa couplings between the inflaton and a dark fermion in a non-supersymmetric hybrid inflationary model. We obtain a spectral index ns\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$n_s$$\\end{document}, and a tensor-to-scalar ratio r, consistent with the current Planck data. Our findings show that the abundance of PBHs is correlated to the dark fermion mass mN\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$m_N$$\\end{document} and peak in the GW spectrum. We identify parameter space where PBHs can be the entire dark matter (DM) candidate of the universe or a fraction of it. Our predictions are consistent with any existing constraints of PBH from microlensing, BBN, CMB, etc. Moreover, the scenario is also testable via induced gravitational waves (GWs) from first-order scalar perturbations detectable in future observatories such as LISA and ET. For instance, with inflaton mass m∼2×1012\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$m \\sim 2\ imes 10^{12}$$\\end{document} GeV, mN∼5.4×1015\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$m_N \\sim 5.4\ imes 10^{15}$$\\end{document} GeV, we obtain PBHs of around 10-13M⊙\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$10^{-13}\\, M_\\odot $$\\end{document} mass that can explain the entire abundance of DM and predict GWs with amplitude ΩGWh2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\Omega _\ extrm{GW}h^2$$\\end{document}∼10-9\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim 10^{-9}$$\\end{document} with peak frequency f∼\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim $$\\end{document} 0.1 Hz in LISA. By explicitly estimating fine-tuning we show that the model has very mild tuning. We discuss successful reheating at the end of the inflationary phase via the conversion of the waterfall field into standard model (SM) particles. We also briefly speculate a scenario where the dark fermion can be a possible heavy right-handed neutrino (RHN) which is responsible for generating the SM neutrino masses via the seesaw mechanism. The RHN can be produced due to waterfall field decay and its subsequent decay may also explain the observed baryon asymmetry in the universe via leptogenesis. We find the reheat temperature TR≲5×109\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$T_R\\lesssim 5\ imes 10^9$$\\end{document} GeV that explains the matter-anti-matter asymmetry of the universe.

Dual inflation and bounce cosmologies interpretation of pulsar timing array data

We explore a dual scenario of generalized inflation and bounce cosmologies, producing a scale-invariant curvature perturbation spectrum. Bayesian analysis with pulsar timing array data identifies, for the first time, viable regions from inflation and bounce that simultaneously explain stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) signals and CMB anisotropies. Bayes factor calculations strongly favor this dual scenario over conventional sources and provide initial evidence of a duality between inflation and bounce regarding SGWB, offering new insights for early universe model-building and future observations.

NANOGrav and other PTA signals and PBH from the modified Higgs inflation

This study investigates the classical Higgs inflation model with a modified Higgs potential featuring a dip. We examine the implications of this modification on the generation of curvature perturbations, stochastic gravitational wave production, and the potential formation of primordial black holes (PBHs). Unlike the classical model, the modified potential allows for enhanced power spectra and the existence of PBHs within a wide mass range 1.5×1020\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1.5\ imes 10^{20}$$\\end{document} g–9.7×1032\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$9.7\ imes 10^{32}$$\\end{document} g. We identify parameter space regions that align with inflationary constraints and have the potential to contribute significantly to the observed dark matter content. Additionally, the study explores the consistency of the obtained parameter space with cosmological constraints and discusses the implications for explaining the observed excess in gravitational wave PTA signals, particularly in the NANOGrav experiment. Overall, this investigation highlights the relevance of the modified Higgs potential in the classical Higgs inflation model, shedding light on the formation of PBHs, the nature of dark matter, and the connection to gravitational wave observations.

New probe of non-Gaussianities with primordial black hole induced gravitational waves

We propose a new probe of primordial non-Gaussianities (NGs) through the observation of gravitational waves (GWs) induced by ultra-light (MPBH<109g) primordial black holes (PBHs). Interestingly enough, the existence of primordial NG can leave imprints on the clustering properties of PBHs and the spectral shape of induced GW signals. Focusing on a scale-dependent local-type NG, we identify a distinct double-peaked GW energy spectrum that, contingent upon MPBH and the abundance of PBHs at the time of formation, denoted as ΩPBH,f, may fall into the frequency bands of upcoming GW observatories, including LISA, ET, SKA, and BBO. Thus, such a signal can serve as a novel portal for probing primordial NGs. Intriguingly, combining BBN bounds on the GW amplitude, we find for the first time the joint limit on the product of the effective non-linearity parameter for the primordial tri-spectrum, denoted by τ¯NL, and the primordial curvature perturbation power spectrum PR(k), which reads as τ¯NLPR(k)<4×10−20ΩPBH,f−17/9(MPBH104g)−17/9.

Scalar perturbations from inflation in the presence of gauge fields

We study how Abelian-gauge-field production during inflation affects scalar perturbations in the case when the gauge field interacts with the inflaton directly (by means of generic kinetic and axial couplings) and via gravity. The homogeneous background solution is defined by self-consistently taking into account the backreaction of the gauge field on the evolution of the inflaton and the scale factor. For the perturbations on top of this background, all possible scalar contributions coming from the inflaton, the metric, and the gauge field are considered. We derive a second-order differential equation for the curvature perturbation, ζ, capturing the impact of the gauge field, both on the background dynamics and on the evolution of scalar perturbations. The latter is described by a source term in the ζ equation, which is quadratic in the gauge-field operators and leads to non-Gaussianities in the curvature perturbations. We derive general expressions for the induced scalar power spectrum and bispectrum. Finally, we apply our formalism to the well-known case of axion inflation without backreaction. Numerical results show that, in this example, the effect of including metric perturbations is small for values of the gauge-field production parameter ξ&gt;3. This is in agreement with the previous results in the literature. However, in the region of smaller values, ξ≲2, our new results exhibit order-of-unity deviations when compared to previous results. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

K -inflation: The legitimacy of the classical treatment

In this paper we consider a general theory of k-inflation and find out that it may be in a strong coupling regime. We derive accurate conditions of classical description validity using unitarity bounds for this model. Next, we choose a simple toy model of k-inflation and obtain the explicit condition, which guarantees that the generation of perturbations is performed in a controllable way, i.e., the exit from the effective horizon occurs in the weak coupling regime. However, for the same toy model the corresponding experimental bounds on a nonlinear parameter fNLequil associated with non-Gaussianities of the curvature perturbation provide much stronger constraint than strong coupling absence condition. Nevertheless, for other known models of inflation this may not be the case. Generally, one should always check if classical description is legitimate for chosen models of inflation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Roles of boundary and equation-of-motion terms in cosmological correlation functions

We revisit the properties of total time-derivative terms as well as terms proportional to the free equation of motion (EOM) in a Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. They are relevant to the correct calculation of correlation functions of curvature perturbations in the context of inflationary Universe. We show that these two contributions to the action play different roles in the operator or the path-integral formalism, but they give the same correlation functions as each other. As a concrete example, we confirm that the Maldacena's consistency relations for the three-point correlation function in the slow-roll inflationary scenario driven by a minimally coupled canonical scalar field hold in both the operator and path-integral formalisms. We also give some comments on loop calculations.

No time to derive: unraveling total time derivatives in in-in perturbation theory

The in-in formalism provides a way to systematically organize the calculation of primordial correlation functions. Although its theoretical foundations are now firmly settled, the treatment of total time derivative interactions, incorrectly trivialized as “boundary terms”, has been the subject of intense discussions and conceptual mistakes. In this work, we demystify the use of total time derivatives — as well as terms proportional to the linear equations of motion — and show that they can lead to artificially large contributions cancelling at different orders of the in-in operator formalism. We discuss the treatment of total time derivative interactions in the Lagrangian path integral formulation of the in-in perturbation theory, and we showcase the importance of interaction terms proportional to linear equations of motion. We then provide a new route to the calculation of primordial correlation functions, which avoids the generation of total time derivatives, by working directly at the level of the full Hamiltonian in terms of phase-space variables. Instead of integrating by parts, we perform canonical transformations to simplify interactions. We explain how to retrieve correlation functions of the initial phase-space variables from the knowledge of the ones after canonical transformations. As an important first application, we find the explicit sizes of Hamiltonian cubic interactions in single-field inflation with canonical kinetic terms and for any background evolution, straight in terms of the primordial curvature perturbation and its canonical conjugate momentum, as well as the corresponding ones in the tensor sector, and the ones mixing scalars and tensors. We also briefly comment on quartic interactions. Our results are important for performing complete calculations of exchange diagrams in inflation, such as the (scalar and tensor) exchange trispectrum and the one-loop power spectrum. Being already written in a form amenable to characterize quantum properties of primordial fluctuations, they also promise to shed light on the non-linear dynamics of quantum states during inflation.

Clustering of primordial black holes from quantum diffusion during inflation

We study how large fluctuations are spatially correlated in the presence of quantum diffusion during inflation. This is done by computing real-space correlation functions in the stochastic-δ N formalism. We first derive an exact description of physical distances as measured by a local observer at the end of inflation, improving on previous works. Our approach is based on recursive algorithmic methods that consistently include volume-weighting effects. We then propose a “large-volume” approximation under which calculations can be done using first-passage time analysis only, and from which a new formula for the power spectrum in stochastic inflation is derived. We then study the full two-point statistics of the curvature perturbation. Due to the presence of exponential tails, we find that the joint distribution of large fluctuations is of the form P(ζ R 1, ζ R 2) = F(R 1,R 2, r) P(ζ R 1)P( ζ R 2), where ζ R 1 and ζ R 2 denote the curvature perturbation coarse-grained at radii R 1 and R 2, around two spatial points distant by r. This implies that, on the tail, the reduced correlation function, defined as P(ζ R 1 > ζc, ζ R 2 > ζc)/[P(ζ R 1 > ζc) P(ζ R 2 > ζc)]-1, is independent of the threshold value ζc. This contrasts with Gaussian statistics where the same quantity strongly decays with ζc, and shows the existence of a universal clustering profile for all structures forming in the exponential tails. Structures forming in the intermediate (i.e. not yet exponential) tails may feature different, model-dependent behaviours.