Work

The inflationary wavefunction and its initial conditions

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: We explore the effect of initial conditions on the inflationary wavefunction and their consequences for the observed spectrum of primordial fluctuations. In a class of models with a sudden transition into inflation we find that, for a reasonable set of assumptions about the reheat temperature and the number of e-foldings, it is possible for initial conditions set by a pre-inflationary epoch to have an observable effect.

Source: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2012/12/012

Authors: Daniel Carney, Willy Fischler, Sonia Paban, Navin Sivanandam

Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, Aspen Center for Physics, University of Texas at Austin

Award: Quantum Field Theory of Elementary Particles