Inflationary Cosmological Models Without Restrictions on a Scalar Field Potential

A new strategy of exact solutions construction in inflationary cosmology within the self-interacting scalar field theory is proposed. It is shown that inflationary models have no restrictions dictated by the slow-roll approximation on the self-interacting potential. The suggested approach makes it possible to compute precisely the e-folds numbers in inflationary scenarios. The scalar field with a logarithmic evolution in time is analyzed in details. Other possible types of scalar field evolution are discussed.     

Peculiar relics from Primordial Black Holes in the inflationary paradigm

Depending on various assumptions on the energy scale of inflation and assuming a primordial power spectrum of a step‐like structure, we explore new possibilities for Primordial Black Holes (PBH) and Planck relics to contribute substantially to Cold Dark Matter in the Universe. A recently proposed possibility to produce Planck relics in four‐dimensional string gravity is considered in this framework. Possible experimental detection of PBHs through gravitational waves is also explored. We stress that inflation with a low energy scale, and also possibly when Planck relics are produced, leads unavoidably to relics originating from PBHs that are not effectively classical during their formation, rendering the usual formalism inadequate for them.     

“CMB-Slow” or How to Determine Cosmological Parameters by Hand?

I derive analytically the spectrum of the CMB fluctuations. The final result for C _l is presented in terms of elementary functions with an explicit dependence on the basic cosmological parameters. This result is in a rather good agreement with CMBFAST for a wide range of parameters around concordance model. This allows us to understand the physical reasons for dependence of the particular features of the CMB spectrum on the basic cosmological parameters and to estimate the possible accuracy of their determination. I also analyze the degeneracy of the spectrum with respect to certain combinations of the cosmological parameters.     

Spinors, Inflation, and Non-Singular Cyclic Cosmologies

We consider toy cosmological models in which a classical, homogeneous, spinor field provides a dominant or sub-dominant contribution to the energy-momentum tensor of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. We find that, if such a field were to exist, appropriate choices of the spinor self-interaction would generate a rich variety of behaviors, quite different from their widely studied scalar field counterparts. We first discuss solutions that incorporate a stage of cosmic inflation and estimate the primordial spectrum of density perturbations seeded during such a stage. Inflation driven by a spinor field turns out to be unappealing as it leads to a blue spectrum of perturbations and requires considerable fine-tuning of parameters. We next find that, for simple, quartic spinor self-interactions, non-singular cyclic cosmologies exist with reasonable parameter choices. These solutions might eventually be incorporated into a successful past- and future-eternal cosmological model free of singularities. In an Appendix, we discuss the classical treatment of spinors and argue that certain quantum systems might be approximated in terms of such fields.     

Spherically symmetric static inhomogeneous cosmological models

Spherically symmetric static cosmological models filled with black-body radiation are considered. The models are isotropic about a central observer but inhomogeneous. It is suggested that the energy density of the free gravitational field, which is coupled to the isotropic radiation energy density, might play an important role in generating sufficient field (vacuum) energy (when converted into thermal energy) and initiate processes like inflation. On the central world line the energy density of the free gravitational field vanishes whereas the proper pressure and density of the isotropic black-body radiation are constants. Further, it is shown that the cosmological constant is no more arbitrary but given in terms of the central pressure and density. Also, at its maximum value the energy density of the free gravitational field is proved to be equal to one third of the combined value of radiation pressure and density.     

Observational effects from quantum cosmology

The status of quantum cosmologies as testable models of the early universe is assessed in the context of inflation. While traditional Wheeler–DeWitt quantization is unable to produce sizable effects in the cosmic microwave background, the more recent loop quantum cosmology can generate potentially detectable departures from the standard cosmic spectrum. Thus, present observations constrain the parameter space of the model, which could be made falsifiable by near‐future experiments.     

Higgs–Dilaton cosmology: Are there extra relativistic species?

Recent analyses of cosmological data suggest the presence of an extra relativistic component beyond the Standard Model content. The Higgs–Dilaton cosmological model predicts the existence of a massless particle – the dilaton – associated with the spontaneous symmetry breaking of scale invariance and undetectable by any accelerator experiment. Its ultrarelativistic character makes it a suitable candidate for contributing to the effective number of light degrees of freedom in the Universe. In this Letter we analyze the dilaton production at the (p)reheating stage right after inflation and conclude that no extra relativistic degrees of freedom beyond those already present in the Standard Model are expected within the simplest Higgs–Dilaton scenario. The elusive dilaton remains thus essentially undetectable by any particle physics experiment or cosmological observation.     

Cosmological Dynamics of the Tachyon with an Inverse Power-Law Potential

We investigate tachyon dynamics with an inverse power-law potential V () ^–. We find global attractors of the dynamics leading to a dust behavior for > 2 and to an accellerating universe for 0 < 2. We study linear cosmological perturbations and we show that metric fluctuations are constant on large scales in both cases. In the presence of an additional perfect fluid, the tachyon with this potential behaves as dust or dark energy.     

LETTER: A Simple Quantum Cosmology

A simple and surprisingly realistic model of the origin of the universe can be developed using the Friedmann equation from general relativity, elementary quantum mechanics, and the experimental values of , c, G and the proton mass m _p. The model assumes there are N space dimensions (with N > 6), and the potential constraining the radius r of the invisible N – 3 compact dimensions varies as r ⁴. In this model, the universe has zero total energy and is created from nothing. There is no initial singularity. If space-time is eleven dimensional, as required by M theory, the scalar field corresponding to the size of the compact dimensions inflates the universe by about 26 orders of magnitude (60 e-folds). If H ₀ = 65 km sec^–1 Mpc^–1, the energy density of the scalar field after inflation results in = 0.68, in agreement with recent COBE and Type SNe Ia supernova data.