arXiv subjects

Christopher Gordon

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher Gordon.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

Cosmological Perturbations Through a General Relativistic Bounce

The ekpyrotic and cyclic universe scenarios have revived the idea that the density perturbations apparent in today's universe could have been generated in a `pre-singularity' epoch before the big bang. These scenarios provide explicit mechanisms whereby a scale invariant spectrum of adiabatic perturbations may be generated without the need for cosmic inflation, albeit in a phase preceding the hot big bang singularity. A key question they face is whether there exists a unique prescription for following perturbations through the bounce, an issue which is not yet definitively settled. This goal of this paper is more modest, namely to study a bouncing Universe model in which neither General Relativity nor the Weak Energy Condition is violated. We show that a perturbation which is pure growing mode before the bounce does not match to a pure decaying mode perturbation after the bounce. Analytical estimates of when the comoving curvature perturbation varies around the bounce are given. It is found that in general it is necessary to evaluate the evolution of the perturbation through the bounce in detail rather than using matching conditions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2002

Correlated perturbations from inflation and the cosmic microwave background

We compare the latest cosmic microwave background data with theoretical predictions including correlated adiabatic and CDM isocurvature perturbations with a simple power-law dependence. We find that there is a degeneracy between the amplitude of correlated isocurvature perturbations and the spectral tilt. A negative (red) tilt is found to be compatible with a larger isocurvature contribution. Estimates of the baryon and CDM densities are found to be almost independent of the isocurvature amplitude. The main result is that current microwave background data do not exclude a dominant contribution from CDM isocurvature fluctuations on large scales.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Adiabatic and entropy perturbations in cosmology

This PhD thesis presents a study of the effect and generation of non-adiabatic perturbations in Cosmology. We study adiabatic (curvature) and entropy (isocurvature) perturbations produced during a period of cosmological inflation that is driven by multiple scalar fields with an arbitrary interaction potential. A local rotation in field space is performed to separate out the adiabatic and entropy modes. The resulting field equations show explicitly how on large scales entropy perturbations can source adiabatic perturbations if the background solution follows a curved trajectory in field space, and how adiabatic perturbations cannot source entropy perturbations in the long-wavelength limit. We show why one in general expects the adiabatic and entropy perturbations to be correlated at the end of inflation. Then, we consider two-field preheating after inflation, examining conditions under which entropy perturbations can alter the large-scale curvature perturbation and showing how our new formalism has advantages in numerical stability when the background solution follows a non-trivial trajectory in field space. Then we compare the latest cosmic microwave background data with theoretical predictions including correlated adiabatic and CDM isocurvature perturbations. We find that there is a degeneracy between the amplitude of correlated isocurvature perturbations and the spectral tilt. We then study perturbations in Randall-Sundrum-type brane-world cosmologies. The density perturbations generate Weyl curvature in the bulk, which in turn backreacts on the brane via stress-energy perturbations. Bulk effects produce a non-adiabatic mode, even when the matter perturbations are adiabatic, and alter the background dynamics.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Inflationary Initial Conditions Consistent with Causality

The initial condition problem of inflation is examined from the perspective of both spacetime embedding and scalar field dynamics. The spacetime embedding problem is solved for arbitrary initial spatial curvature Omega, which generalizes previous works that primarily treat the flat case Omega=1. Scalar field dynamics that is consistent with the embedding constraints are examined, with the additional treatment of damping effects. The effects of inhomogeneities on the embedding problem also are considered. A category of initial conditions are identified that are not acausal and can develop into an inflationary regime.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Density perturbations in the brane-world

In Randall-Sundrum-type brane-world cosmologies, density perturbations generate Weyl curvature in the bulk, which in turn backreacts on the brane via stress-energy perturbations. On large scales, the perturbation equations contain a closed system on the brane, which may be solved without solving for the bulk perturbations. Bulk effects produce a non-adiabatic mode, even when the matter perturbations are adiabatic, and alter the background dynamics. As a consequence, the standard evolution of large-scale fluctuations in general relativity is modified. The metric perturbation on large-scales is not constant during high-energy inflation. It is constant during the radiation era, except at most during the very beginning, if the energy is high enough.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Adiabatic and entropy perturbations from inflation

We study adiabatic (curvature) and entropy (isocurvature) perturbations produced during a period of cosmological inflation that is driven by multiple scalar fields with an arbitrary interaction potential. A local rotation in field space is performed to separate out the adiabatic and entropy modes. The resulting field equations show explicitly how on large scales entropy perturbations can source adiabatic perturbations if the background solution follows a curved trajectory in field space, and how adiabatic perturbations cannot source entropy perturbations in the long-wavelength limit. It is the effective mass of the entropy field that determines the amplitude of entropy perturbations during inflation. We present two applications of the equations. First, we show why one in general expects the adiabatic and entropy perturbations to be correlated at the end of inflation, and calculate the cross-correlation in the context of a double inflation model with two non-interacting fields. Second, we consider two-field preheating after inflation, examining conditions under which entropy perturbations can alter the large-scale curvature perturbation and showing how our new formalism has advantages in numerical stability when the background solution follows a non-trivial trajectory in field space.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A Generalization of the Maximum Noise Fraction Transform

A generalization of the maximum noise fraction (MNF) transform is proposed. Powers of each band are included as new bands before the MNF transform is performed. The generalized MNF (GMNF) is shown to perform better than the MNF on a time dependent airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data filtering problem.

physics.data-an↗

arXiv2000

Restoring the sting to metric preheating

The relative growth of field and metric perturbations during preheating is sensitive to initial conditions set in the preceding inflationary phase. Recent work suggests this may protect super-Hubble metric perturbations from resonant amplification during preheating. We show that this possibility is fragile and sensitive to the specific form of the interactions between the inflaton and other fields. The suppression is naturally absent in two classes of preheating in which either (1) the vacua of the non-inflaton fields during inflation are deformed away from the origin, or (2) the effective masses of non-inflaton fields during inflation are small but during preheating are large. Unlike the simple toy model of a $g^2 ϕ^2 χ^2$ coupling, most realistic particle physics models contain these other features. Moreover, they generically lead to both adiabatic and isocurvature modes and non-Gaussian scars on super-Hubble scales. Large-scale coherent magnetic fields may also appear naturally.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Artificial Neural Network Modeling of Forest Tree Growth

The problem of modeling forest tree growth curves with an artificial neural network (NN) is examined. The NN parametric form is shown to be a suitable model if each forest tree plot is assumed to consist of several differently growing sub-plots. The predictive Bayesian approach is used in estimating the NN output. Data from the correlated curve trend (CCT) experiments are used. The NN predictions are compared with those of one of the best parametric solutions, the Schnute model. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods are used to evaluate whether any observed differences are statistically significant. From a Frequentist perspective the differences between the Schnute and NN approach are found not to be significant. However, a Bayesian ANOVA indicates that there is a 93% probability of the NN approach producing better predictions on average.

physics.data-an↗