arXiv subjects

Arjun Berera

Publications and source records attributed to Arjun Berera.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Towards a reliable effective field theory of inflation

We present the first quantum field theory model of inflation that is renormalizable in the matter sector, with a super-Hubble inflaton mass and sub-Planckian field excursions, which is thus technically natural and consistent with a high-energy completion within a theory of quantum gravity. This is done in the framework of warm inflation, where we show, for the first time, that strong dissipation can fully sustain a slow-roll trajectory with slow-roll parameters larger than unity in a way that is both theoretically and observationally consistent. The inflaton field corresponds to the relative phase between two complex scalar fields that collectively break a U(1) gauge symmetry, and dissipates its energy into scalar degrees of freedom in the warm cosmic heat bath. A discrete interchange symmetry protects the inflaton mass from large thermal corrections. We further show that the dissipation coefficient decreases with temperature in certain parametric regimes, which prevents a large growth of thermal inflaton fluctuations. We find, in particular, a very good agreement with the Planck legacy data for a simple quadratic inflaton potential, predicting a low tensor-to-scalar ratio $r\lesssim 10^{-5}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Effect of spatial dimension on a model of fluid turbulence

A numerical study of the $d$-dimensional Eddy Damped Quasi-Normal Markovian equations is performed to investigate the dependence on spatial dimension of homogeneous isotropic fluid turbulence. Relationships between structure functions and energy and transfer spectra are derived for the $d$-dimensional case. Additionally, an equation for the $d$-dimensional enstrophy analogue is derived and related to the velocity derivative skewness. Comparisons are made to recent four dimensional direct numerical simulation results. Measured energy spectra show a magnified bottleneck effect which grows with dimension whilst transfer spectra show a varying peak in the non-linear energy transfer as the dimension is increased. These results are consistent with an increased forward energy transfer at higher dimensions, further evidenced by measurements of a larger asymptotic dissipation rate with growing dimension. The enstrophy production term, related to the velocity derivative skewness, is seen to reach a maximum at around five dimensions and may reach zero in the limit of infinite dimensions, raising interesting questions about the nature of turbulence in this limit.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Role of trans-Planckian modes in cosmology

Motivated by the old trans-Planckian (TP) problem of inflationary cosmology, it has been conjectured that any consistent effective field theory should keep TP modes `hidden' behind the Hubble horizon, so as to prevent them from turning classical and thereby affecting macroscopic observations. In this paper we present two arguments against the Hubble horizon being a scale of singular significance as has been put forward in the TP Censorship Conjecture (TCC). First, refinements of TCC are presented that allow for the TP modes to grow beyond the horizon while still keeping the de-Sitter conjecture valid. Second, we show that TP modes can turn classical even well within the Hubble horizon, which, as such, negates this rationale behind keeping them from crossing it. The role of TP modes is known to be less of a problem in warm inflation, because fluctuations start out usually as classical. This allows warm inflation to be more resilient to the TP problem compared to cold inflation. To understand how robust this is, we identity limits where quantum modes can affect the primordial power spectrum in one specific case.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Quantum coherence to interstellar distances

Quantum coherence could be sustained up to interstellar distances. It is shown that the photon mean free path in certain regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as within the radio or x-ray ranges, could allow sustaining of the quantum state of a photon up to galactic distances. Therefore processes involving quantum entanglement, such as quantum teleportation, could be realized over very long distances in the Milky Way or other galaxies. This is of fundamental interest and offers a new direction in the role of quantum mechanics. Some limited applications of this observation are discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Homogeneous isotropic turbulence in four spatial dimensions

Direct Numerical Simulation is performed of the forced Navier-Stokes equation in four spatial dimensions. Well equilibrated, long time runs at sufficient resolution were obtained to reliably measure spectral quantities, the velocity derivative skewness and the dimensionless dissipation rate. Comparisons to corresponding two and three dimensional results are made. Energy fluctuations are measured and show a clear reduction moving from three to four dimensions. The dynamics appear to show simplifications in four dimensions with a picture of increased forward energy transfer resulting in an extended inertial range with smaller Kolmogorov scale. This enhanced forwards transfer is linked to our finding of increased dissipative anomaly and velocity derivative skewness.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Thermal, Trapped and Chromo-Natural Inflation in light of the Swampland Criteria and the Trans-Planckian Censorship Conjecture

We consider thermal, trapped and chromo-natural inflation in light of the swampland criteria and the Trans-Planckian Censorship Conjecture (TCC). Since thermal inflation occurs at energies low compared to those of Grand Unification, it is consistent with the TCC, and it is also consistent with the refined swampland conditions. Trapped and chromo-natural inflation are candidates for primordial (high energy scale) inflation. Since in both of these scenarios there are effective damping terms in the scalar field equation of motion, the models can easily be consistent with the swampland criteria. The TCC, on the other hand, constrains these scenarios to only take place at low energies.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Chaos and information in two dimensional turbulence

By performing a large number of fully resolved simulations of incompressible homogeneous and isotropic two dimensional turbulence, we study the scaling behavior of the maximal Lyapunov exponent, the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and attractor dimension. The scaling of the maximal Lyapunov exponent is found to be in good agreement with the dimensional predictions. For the cases of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and attractor dimension the simple dimensional predictions are found to be insufficient. A dependence on the system size and the forcing length scale is found, suggesting non-universal behavior. The applicability of these results to atmospheric predictability is also discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Trans-Planckian censorship and other swampland bothers addressed in warm inflation

The implications of the recently proposed Trans-Planckian censorship conjecture (TCC) are analyzed in the context of warm inflation. It is found that for a single-stage accelerated expansion the constraints imposed by the censorship are roughly the same as for cold inflation. Next, we study how a two-stage inflationary expansion with an intermediate radiation-dominated era can alleviate the bounds imposed by the censorship. For a demonstrative toy model we found $r<10^{-23}$, but can be $r<10^{-5}$ for a weaker form of TCC for the later stages of expansion, while still satisfying the other swampland conditions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Formulating the Kramers problem in field theory

The escape problem is defined in the context of quantum field theory. The escape rate is explicitly derived for a scalar field governed by fluctuation-dissipation dynamics, through generalizing the standard Kramers problem. In the presence of thermal fluctuations, there is a nonvanishing probability for a classical background field, initially located at a minimum of its potential in a homogeneous configuration, to escape from the well. The simple and well-known related problem of the escape of a classical point particle due to random forces is first reviewed. We then discuss the difficulties associated with a well-defined formulation of an escape rate for a scalar field and how these can be overcome. A definition of the Kramers problem for a scalar field and a method to obtain the rate are provided. Finally, we discuss some of the potential applications of our results, which can range from condensed matter systems, i.e., nonrelativistic fields, to applications in high-energy physics, like for cosmological phase transitions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Information production in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

We study the Reynolds number scaling of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and attractor dimension for three dimensional homogeneous isotropic turbulence through the use of direct numerical simulation. To do so, we obtain Lyapunov spectra for a range of different Reynolds numbers by following the divergence of a large number of orthogonal fluid trajectories. We find that the attractor dimension grows with the Reynolds number as Re$^{2.35}$ with this exponent being larger than predicted by either dimensional arguments or intermittency models. The distribution of Lyapunov exponents is found to be finite around $λ\approx 0$ contrary to a possible divergence suggested by Ruelle. The relevance of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and Lyapunov spectra in comparing complex physical systems is discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Fluctuations of Lyapunov Exponents in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence

In the context of the analysis of the chaotic properties of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence, direct numerical simulations are used to study the fluctuations of the finite time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) and its relation to Reynolds number, lattice size and the choice of the steptime used to compute the Lyapunov exponents. The results show that using the FTLE method produces Lyapunov exponents that are remarkably stable under the variation of the steptime and lattice size. Furthermore, it reaches such stability faster than other characteristic quantities such as energy and dissipation rate. These results remain even if the steptime is made arbitrarily small. A discrepancy is also resolved between previous measurements of the dependence on the Reynolds number of the Lyapunov exponent. The signal produced by different variables in the steady state is analyzed and the self decorrelation time is used to determine the run time needed in the simulations to obtain proper statistics for each variable. Finally, a brief analysis on MHD flows is also presented, which shows that the Lyapunov exponent is still a robust measure in the simulations, although the Lyapunov exponent scaling with Reynolds number is significantly different from that of magnetically neutral hydrodynamic fluids.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Superfast amplification and superfast nonlinear saturation of perturbations as the mechanism of turbulence

Ruelle predicted that the maximal amplification of perturbations in homogeneous isotropic turbulence is exponential $e^{σ\sqrt{Re} t}$ (where $σ\sqrt{Re}$ is the maximal Liapunov exponent). In our earlier works, we predicted that the maximal amplification of perturbations in fully developed turbulence is faster than exponential $e^{σ\sqrt{Re} \sqrt{t} +σ_1 t}$. That is, we predicted superfast initial amplification of perturbations. Built upon our earlier numerical verification of our prediction, here we conduct a large numerical verification with resolution up to $2048^3$ and Reynolds number up to $6210$. Our direct numerical simulation here confirms our analytical prediction. Our numerical simulation also demonstrates that such superfast amplification of perturbations leads to superfast nonlinear saturation. We conclude that such superfast amplification and superfast nonlinear saturation of ever existing perturbations serve as the mechanism for the generation, development and persistence of fully developed turbulence.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Reexamination of the warm inflation curvature perturbations spectrum

The two approaches to compute perturbations in warm inflation are examined. It is shown that both approaches lead to different expressions for the amplitude of the primordial spectrum, with a difference between them of $Υ/(4H)$ at leading order, where $Υ$ is the dissipation coefficient. In terms of observables, this discrepancy can lead to the spectral index differing by up to order $\mathcal{O}(10^{-3})$, which is within precision demands for current CMB data. Thus, it is important to resolve this ambiguity to have reliable predictions from warm inflation. For this we prove the extent of this discrepancies by deriving a formula for the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio in each approach. In doing so, we find disparities to be more noticeable in a regime where dissipation is comparable with the expansion rate, which is a very important regime from a phenomenological point of view. To determine the extent of the discrepancy, several cases are examined, including quadratic, quartic and hybrid potentials with quadratic and $T-$dependent dissipative coefficients. The origin of the discrepancy is found to be due to the approximation performed in one of the methods, which underestimates the variation of the momentum perturbation with expansion. Once this is corrected, both approaches are then in agreement.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Warm inflation within a supersymmetric distributed mass model

We study the dynamics and observational predictions of warm inflation within a supersymmetric distributed mass model. This dissipative mechanism is well described by the interactions between the inflaton and a tower of chiral multiplets with a mass gap, such that different bosonic and fermionic fields become light as the inflaton scans the tower during inflation. We examine inflation for various mass distributions, analyzing in detail the dynamics and observational predictions. We show, in particular, that warm inflation can be consistently realized in this scenario for a broad parametric range and in excellent agreement with the Planck legacy data. Distributed mass models can be viewed as realizations of the landscape property of string theory, with the mass distributions coming from the underlying spectra of the theory, which themselves would be affected by the vacuum of the theory. We discuss the recently proposed swampland criteria for inflation models on the landscape and analyze the conditions under which they can be met within the distributed mass warm inflation scenario. We demonstrate mass distribution models with a range of consistency with the swampland criteria including cases in excellent consistency.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Chaotic behavior of Eulerian MHD turbulence

We study the chaotic properties of a turbulent conducting fluid using direct numerical simulation in the Eulerian frame. The maximal Lyapunov exponent is measured for simulations with varying Reynolds number and magnetic Prandtl number. We extend the Ruelle theory of hydrodynamic turbulence to magnetohydrodynamic turbulence as a working hypothesis and find broad agreement with results. In other simulations we introduce magnetic helicity and these simulations show a diminution of chaos, which is expected to be eliminated at maximum helicity. We also find that the difference between two initially close fields grows linearly at late times, which was also recently found in hydrodynamics. This linear growth rate is found to be dependent on the dissipation rate of the relevant field. We discuss the important consequences this linear growth has on predictability. We infer that the chaos in the system is totally dominated by the velocity field and connect this work to real magnetic systems such as solar weather and confined plasmas.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Fully resolved array of simulations investigating the influence of the magnetic Prandtl number on magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

We explore the effect of the magnetic Prandtl number Pm on energy and dissipation in fully resolved direct numerical simulations of steady-state, mechanically forced homogeneous magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the range Pm = 1/32 to 32. We compare the spectra and show that if the simulations are not fully resolved, the steepness of the scaling of the kinetic-to-magnetic dissipation ratio with Pm is overestimated. We also present results of decaying turbulence with helical and nonhelical magnetic fields, where we find nonhelical reverse spectral transfer for Pm < 1. The results of this systematic analysis have applications including stars, planetary dynamos, and accretion disks.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2018

Identifying Universality in Warm Inflation

Ideas borrowed from renormalization group are applied to warm inflation to characterize the inflationary epoch in terms of flows away from the de Sitter regime. In this framework different models of inflation fall into universality classes. Furthermore, for warm inflation this approach also helps to characterise when inflation can smoothly end into the radiation dominated regime. Warm inflation has a second functional dependence compared to cold inflation due to dissipation, yet despite this feature, it is shown that the universality classes defined for cold inflation can be consistently extended to warm inflation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Dynamical and observational constraints on the Warm Little Inflaton scenario

We explore the dynamics and observational predictions of the Warm Little Inflaton scenario, presently the simplest realization of warm inflation within a concrete quantum field theory construction. We consider three distinct types of scalar potentials for the inflaton, namely chaotic inflation with a quartic monomial potential, a Higgs-like symmetry breaking potential and a non-renormalizable plateau-like potential. In each case, we determine the parametric regimes in which the dynamical evolution is consistent for 50-60 e-folds of inflation, taking into account thermal corrections to the scalar potential and requiring, in particular, that the two fermions coupled directly to the inflaton remain relativistic and close to thermal equilibrium throughout the slow-roll regime and that the temperature is always below the underlying gauge symmetry breaking scale. We then compute the properties of the primordial spectrum of scalar curvature perturbations and the tensor-to-scalar ratio in the allowed parametric regions and compare them with Planck data, showing that this scenario is theoretically and observationally successful for a broad range of parameter values.

astro-ph.CO↗