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Inflation as a probe of trans-Planckian physics: a brief review and progress report1

Gary Shiu

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We provide a prescription for parametrizing the vacuum choice ambiguity in cosmological settings. We introduce an arbitrary boundary action representing the initial conditions. A Lagrangian description is moreover the natural setting to study decoupling of high-energy physics. RG flow affects the boundary interactions. As a consequence the boundary conditions are sensitive to high-energy physics through irrelevant terms in the boundary action. Using scalar field theory as an example, we derive the leading dimension four irrelevant boundary operators. We discuss flow the known vacuum choices, e.g. the Bunch-Davies vacuum, appear in the Lagrangian description and square with decoupling. For all choices of boundary conditions encoded by relevant boundary operators, of which the known ones are a subset, backreaction is under control. All, moreover, will generically feel the influence of high-energy physics through irrelevant (dimension four) boundary corrections. Having established a coherent effective field theory framework including the vacuum choice ambiguity, we derive an explicit expression for the flower spectrum of inflationary density perturbations including the leading high energy corrections. In accordance with the dimensionality of the leading irrelevant operators, the effect of high energy physics is linearly proportional to the Hubble radius H and the scale of new physics l = 1/M. Effects of such strength are potentially observable in future measurements of the cosmic micflowave background.


 
1A review and expansion of joint work with K. Schalm and J.P. van der Schaar, hep-th/0401164. Presented by GS at the 11th Mexican School of Particles and Fields, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, August 2-13, 2004
PACS

98.80.Cq Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early Universe (including cosmic pancakes, cosmic strings, chaotic phenomena, inflationary universe, etc.)

11.10.Ef Lagrangian and Hamiltonian approach

11.10.Hi Renormalization group evolution of parameters

98.70.Vc Background radiations

Subjects

Gravitation and cosmology

Particle physics and field theory

Astrophysics and astroparticles

Dates

Issue 1 (2005)



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