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David H. Lyth

Publications and source records attributed to David H. Lyth.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2004

Note about leptogenesis from gravity waves in models of inflation

We show how the mechanism recently proposed by Alexander, Peskin, and Sheikh-Jabbari, in which the observed cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry comes from the contribution of the cosmological tensor perturbations to the gravitational anomaly in the Standard Model, does not work. This holds when taking into account the commutation relations for the creation-annihilation operators associated to the gravitational waves and the geometrical properties of the polarization tensors.

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arXiv2004

The masses of weakly-coupled scalar fields in the early Universe

We consider the effective mass-squared in the early Universe, of a scalar field which has only Planck-suppressed couplings with light fields and whose true mass is less than the Hubble parameter $H$. A detailed investigation shows that the effective mass-squared generically is of order $\pm H^2$ during inflation and matter-domination, but much smaller during radiation domination. We consider the special circumstances under which the mass-squared may be much bigger or much smaller than the generic value.

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arXiv2004

Models of inflation liberated by the curvaton hypothesis

It is usually supposed that inflation is of the slow-roll variety, and that the inflaton generates the primordial curvature perturbation. According to the curvaton hypothesis, inflation need not be slow-roll, and if it is the inflaton generates a negligible curvature perturbation. We find that the construction of slow-roll inflation models becomes much easier under this hypothesis. Also, thermal inflation followed by fast-roll becomes viable, with no slow-roll inflation at all.

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arXiv2003

Can the curvaton paradigm accommodate a low inflation scale?

The cosmological curvature perturbation may be generated when some `curvaton' field, different from the inflaton, oscillates in a background of unperturbed radiation. In its simplest form the curvaton paradigm requires the Hubble parameter during inflation to be bigger than $10^7\GeV$, but this bound may be evaded if the curvaton field (or an associated tachyon) is strongly coupled to a field which acquires a large value at the end of inflation. As a result the curvaton paradigm might be useful in improving the viability of low-scale inflation models, in which the supersymmetry-breaking mechanism is the same as the one which operates in the vacuum.

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arXiv2003

Which is the best inflation model?

Reasonable-looking models of inflation are compared, taking into account the possibility that the curvature perturbation might originate from some "curvaton" field different from the inflaton.

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arXiv2002

New Constraints on the running-mass inflation model

We evaluate new observational constraints on the two-parameter scale-dependent spectral index predicted by the running-mass inflation model by combining the latest Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy measurements with the recent 2dFGRS data on the matter power spectrum, with Lyman $α$ forest data and finally with theoretical constraints on the reionization redshift. We find that present data still allow significant scale-dependence of $n$, which occurs in a physically reasonable regime of parameter space.

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arXiv2002

The primordial density perturbation in the curvaton scenario

We analyse the primordial density perturbation when it is generated by a `curvaton' field different from the inflaton. In some cases this perturbation may have large isocurvature components, fully correlated or anti-correlated with the adiabatic component. It may also have a significant non-Gaussian component. All of these effects are calculated in a form which will enable direct comparison with current and forthcoming observational data.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2002

Generating the primordial curvature perturbation from inflation

The scale--independence of the primordial curvature perturbation suggests that it comes from the vacuum fluctuation during inflation of a light scalar field. This field may be the inflaton, or a different `curvaton' field. The observation of primordial non--gaussianity would be a smoking gun for the curvaton model, while the observation of gravitational waves originating during slow--roll inflation would rule out the model.

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arXiv2002

Generating the curvature perturbation without an inflaton

We present a mechanism for the origin of the large-scale curvature perturbation in our Universe by the late decay of a massive scalar field, the curvaton. The curvaton is light during a period of cosmological inflation, when it acquires a perturbation with an almost scale-invariant spectrum. This corresponds initially to an isocurvature density perturbation, which generates the curvature perturbation after inflation when the curvaton density becomes a significant fraction of the total. The isocurvature density perturbation disappears if the curvaton completely decays into thermalised radiation. Any residual isocurvature perturbation is 100% correlated with the curvature. The same mechanism can also generate the curvature perturbation in pre big bang/ekpyrotic models, provided that the curvaton has a suitable non-canonical kinetic term so as to generate a flat spectrum.

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arXiv2001

The primordial curvature perturbation in the ekpyrotic Universe

In the ekpyrotic scenario the Universe is initially collapsing, the energy density coming from a scalar field with a negative exponential potential. On the basis of a calculation ignoring the gravitational back-reaction the authors of the scenario claim that during collapse the vacuum fluctuation creates a perturbation in the comoving curvature, which has a flat spectrum in accordance with observation. In this note the back-reaction is included, and it is found that the spectrum during collapse is strongly scale-dependent with negligible magnitude. The spectrum is continuous across the bounce if the spacetime is smooth, making it unlikely that the ekpyrotic scenario can be compatible with observation.

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arXiv2000

Observational constraints on models of inflation from the density perturbation and gravitino production

Present data require a spectral index $n\gsim 0.95$ at something like 1-$σ$ level. If this lower bound survives it will constrain `new' and `modular' inflation models, while raising it to 1.00 would rule out all of these models plus many others. After inflation, gravitinos are created by the oscillating field until the `intermediate' epoch when the Hubble parameter falls below the gravitino mass, or reheating, whichever is earlier. In a wide range of parameter space, these gravitinos are more abundant than those from thermal collisions, leading to stronger cosmological constraints.

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arXiv2000

The abundance of relativistic axions in a flaton model of Peccei-Quinn symmetry

Flaton models of Peccei-Quinn symmetry have good particle physics motivation, and are likely to cause thermal inflation leading to a well-defined cosmology. They can solve the $μ$ problem, and generate viable neutrino masses. Canonical flaton models predict an axion decay constant F_a of order 10^{10} GeV and generic flaton models give F_a of order 10^9 GeV as required by observation. The axion is a good candidate for cold dark matter in all cases, because its density is diluted by flaton decay if F_a is bigger than 10^{12} GeV. In addition to the dark matter axions, a population of relativistic axions is produced by flaton decay, which at nucleosynthesis is equivalent to some number δN_νof extra neutrino species. Focussing on the canonical model, containing three flaton particles and two flatinos, we evaluate all of the flaton-flatino-axion interactions and the corresponding axionic decay rates. They are compared with the dominant hadronic decay rates, for both DFSZ and KSVZ models. These formulas provide the basis for a precise calculation of the equivalent δN_νin terms of the parameters (masses and couplings). The KSVZ case is probably already ruled out by the existing bound δN_ν\lsim 1. The DFSZ case is allowed in a significant region of parameter space, and will provide a possible explanation for any future detection of nonzero $δN_ν$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2000

Cosmological constraints on a Peccei-Quinn flatino as the lightest supersymmetric particle

In an interesting class of models, non-renormalizable terms of the superpotential are responsible for the spontanteous breaking of Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry as well as the generation of the $μ$ term. The flaton fields which break PQ symmetry are accompanied by flatinos, and the lightest flatino (the LSP) can be the stable, while the decay of the lightest neutralino (the NLSP) might be visible at colliders with a low axion scale. We examine the cosmology of these models, involving thermal inflation just after the PQ phase transition. The branching ratio of flatons into axions must be small so as not to interfere with nucleosynthesis, and flatons must not decay into the LSP or it will be over-abundant. We explore a simple model,with light flatons which can decay into $Z$ or $W$ bosons, or into a light Higgs ($h^0$) plus a $Z$ boson, to show that such features can be realized in a wide range of parameter space. The mass of the NLSP can be as low as $(m_{h^0}+m_Z)/2$, with an axion scale of order $10^{10}$ GeV and a final reheat temperature typically of order $10\GeV$. Then, the flatino LSP is a good dark matter candidate because the reheat temperature can be high enough to allow its production from the decay of the thermalized LSP, while low enough to prevent its overproduction from the decay of sfermions.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2000

Observational constraints on the spectral index of the cosmological curvature perturbation

We evaluate the observational constraints on the spectral index $n$, in the context of the $Λ$CDM hypothesis which represents the simplest viable cosmology. We first take $n$ to be practically scale-independent. Ignoring reionization, we find at a nominal 2-$σ$ level $n\simeq 1.0 \pm 0.1$. If we make the more realisitic assumption that reionization occurs when a fraction $f\sim 10^{-5}$ to 1 of the matter has collapsed, the 2-$σ$ lower bound is unchanged while the 1-$σ$ bound rises slightly. These constraints are compared with the prediction of various inflation models. Then we investigate the two-parameter scale-dependent spectral index, predicted by running-mass inflation models, and find that present data allow significant scale-dependence of $n$, which occurs in a physically reasonable regime of parameter space.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2000

A new approach to the evolution of cosmological perturbations on large scales

We discuss the evolution of linear perturbations about a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker background metric, using only the local conservation of energy-momentum. We show that on sufficiently large scales the curvature perturbation on spatial hypersurfaces of uniform-density is conserved when the non-adiabatic pressure perturbation is negligible. This is the first time that this result has been demonstrated independently of the gravitational field equations. A physical picture of long-wavelength perturbations as being composed of separate Robertson-Walker universes gives a simple understanding of the possible evolution of the curvature perturbation, in particular clarifying the conditions under which super-horizon curvature perturbations may vary.

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arXiv1999

Super-horizon perturbations and preheating

It has recently been claimed by Bassett et al that preheating after inflation may affect the amplitude of curvature perturbations on large scales, undermining the usual inflationary prediction. We analyze the simplest model, and confirm the results of Jedamzik and Sigl and of Ivanov that in linear perturbation theory the effect is negligible. However the dominant effect is second-order in the field perturbation and we show that this too is negligible, and hence conclude that preheating has no significant influence on large-scale perturbations in this model. We briefly discuss the likelihood of an effect in other models.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1999

The abundance of moduli, modulini and gravitinos produced by the vacuum fluctuation

Moduli, modulini and the gravitino have gravitational-strength interactions, and thermal collisions after reheating create all of them with roughly the same abundance. With their mass of order $100\GeV$, corresponding to gravity-mediated supersymmetry breaking, this leads to the well-known bound $γT\sub R\lsim 10^9\GeV$ on the reheat temperature, where $γ\leq 1$ is the entropy dilution factor. The vacuum fluctuation also creates these particles, with abundance determined by the solution of the equation for the mode function. Taking the equation in each case to be the one corresponding to a free field, we consider carefully the behaviour of the effective mass during the crucial era after inflation. It may have a rapid oscillation, which does not however affect the particle abundance. Existing estimates are confirmed; the abundance of modulini and (probably) of moduli created from the vacuum is less than from thermal collisions, but the abundance of gravitinos may be much bigger, leading to a tighter bound on $T\sub R$ if supersymmetry breaking is gravity-mediated. It is noted that in the case of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, the abundance of the gravitino may be sufficient to make it a dark matter candidate.

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