arXiv subjects

Debottam Nandi

Publications and source records attributed to Debottam Nandi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dark photon -- Assisted Primordial Magnetogenesis

Magnetic fields observed across cosmic scales are difficult to explain within conventional physics. A primordial origin is, thus, often assumed. While a nonminimal coupling of the inflaton with the electromagnetic field could theoretically generate magnetic fields of about $10^{-13}$ G, this approach faces significant issues, including strong-coupling and backreaction problems. ``Dark photons", arising naturally in hidden-sector extensions of the Standard Model, provide a well-motivated framework for addressing various cosmic as well as particle physics issues. We demonstrate that coupling dark photons with standard ones can result in adequate magnetogenesis without the limitations of existing models. This minimal mechanism may also provide insights into unresolved cosmic mysteries.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Sub-Horizon Amplification of Curvature Perturbations: A New Route to Primordial Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

The enhanced primordial scalar power spectrum is a widely studied mechanism for generating primordial gravitational waves (PGWs), also referred to as scalar-induced gravitational waves (SIGWs). This process also plays a pivotal role in facilitating the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs). Traditionally, the ultra slow-roll (USR) mechanism has been the predominant approach used in the early universe. In this framework, the second slow-roll parameter $\epsilon_2$, is typically set to $-6$ or lower for a brief period -- marking a significant departure from the standard slow-roll condition where $\epsilon_2 \simeq 0$. Such conditions often emerge in models with inflection points or localized features, such as bumps in the potential. In this paper, we challenge the conventional assumption that $\epsilon_2 \lesssim -6$ is a prerequisite for substantial amplification of the scalar power spectrum. We demonstrate that any negative value of the second slow-roll parameter can indeed enhance the scalar power spectrum through sub-horizon growth, establishing this as a necessary and sufficient condition for amplification. Consequently, this mechanism facilitates the generation of both PGWs and PBHs. To illustrate this, we examine a standard scenario where a brief USR phase is embedded between two slow-roll (SR) phases. By systematically varying $\epsilon_{2}$ values from $-1$ to $-10$ in the USR region, we investigate the amplification of the power spectrum and its implications for PGWs and PBHs production, particularly in the context of ongoing and future cosmological missions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Precision Inflationary Predictions: Impact of Accurate End-of-Inflation Dynamics

The precision era of cosmology demands accurate theoretical predictions from inflationary models. In quantitative reheating analyses, inflationary observables depend sensitively on the number of e-folds between horizon exit and the end of inflation, $N_k$, whose determination relies on slow-roll approximations near the end of inflation. Since inflation ends when the first slow-roll parameter reaches unity, even modest inaccuracies in this approximation can shift the end of inflation and thereby alter $N_k$, leading to modifications in predicted observables -- including those evaluated at leading-order. While such effects are implicit in standard treatments, their quantitative impact on observable constraints has not been systematically assessed. In this work, we first re-evaluate leading-order slow-roll predictions using an improved determination of $N_k$ within a simple quantitative reheating framework, and then incorporate higher-order slow-roll corrections consistently with the revised background evolution. Applying this framework to the Starobinsky model, we find that improved end-of-inflation dynamics alone can induce shifts of order $\Delta n_s \sim 10^{-3}$, while higher-order slow-roll corrections provide additional refinements at the $\sim 4 \times 10^{-4}$ level. The cumulative effect yields a maximum shift of $\Delta n_s \sim 1.2 \times 10^{-3}$ within the allowed reheating range. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic decomposition of end-of-inflation corrections and their individual contributions to $n_s$ in the Starobinsky model, with implications for model discrimination in next-generation CMB surveys. These results demonstrate that an accurate determination of the end of inflation is essential for precision tests of inflationary models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Exploring the Hubble Tension: A Novel Approach through Cosmological Observations

The simplest cosmological model ($\Lambda$CDM) is well-known to suffer from the Hubble tension, namely an almost $5 \sigma$ discrepancy between the (model-based) early-time determination of the Hubble constant $H_0$ and its late-time (and model-independent) determination. To circumvent this, we introduce an additional energy source that varies with the redshift as $(1 + z)^n$, where $0 < n < 3$, and test it against the Pantheon Compilation of Type Ia Supernovae as well as the CMBR observations (at $z \approx 1100$). The deduced $H_0$ is now well-consistent with the value obtained from local observations of Cepheid variables. Suggesting a non-zero value for the curvature density parameter, positive (negative) for $n > 2$ ($n < 2$), the resolution is also consistent with the BAO data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Unifying inflationary and reheating solution

The conventional background solution for the evolution of a single canonical inflaton field performs admirably in extreme scenarios such as the slow-roll phase (where the slow-roll parameter is much less than one) and the deep reheating era (where the Hubble parameter is much smaller than the effective mass of the potential and the field oscillates around the minimum of the potential), but fails to accurately depict the dynamics of the Universe around the end of inflation and the initial oscillatory phases. This article proposes a single, unified, model-independent, parametrized analytical solution for such models that bridges the gap between these two extremes, providing a near-accurate comprehensive description of the evolution of the Universe. This novel strategy has the potential to substantially enhance both quantitative and qualitative cosmological observational predictions, and, as a consequence, can further constrain the inflationary models more effectively using future observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Stability analysis of warm quintessential dark energy model

A dynamical system analysis is performed for a model of dissipative quintessential inflation realizing warm inflation at early primordial times and dissipative interations in the dark sector at late times. The construction makes use of a generalized exponential potential realizing both phases of accelerated expansion. A focus is given on the behavior of the dynamical system at late times and the analysis is exemplified by both analytical and numerical results. The results obtained demonstrate the viability of the model as a quintessential inflation model and in which stable solutions can be obtained.

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arXiv2023

Universe bouncing its way to inflation

Cosmological models with inflation and those with bounce have their own strengths and weaknesses. Here we construct a model in which a phase of bounce is followed by a viable inflationary phase. This incorporates several advantages of both and hence, is a more viable model for cosmic evolution. We explore scenarios wherein the bouncing phase smoothly transits to an inflationary one, with the pivot scale leaving the Hubble horizon during the latter era, thereby maintaining consistency with observations. Staying within the ambit of Einstein-Hilbert gravity augmented by the inflaton, we ensure a pre-inflationary bounce by introducing a second scalar field that helps engineer the requisite violation of the null energy condition. Potential ghost instabilities can be mitigated by invoking a non-trivial coupling between the two scalar fields.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Inflation vs. Ekpyrosis -- comparing stability in general non-minimal theory

The scalar field is considered to have dominated the early Universe. One subtle yet crucial requirement of this assumption is that the solution must be highly stable, i.e., indifferent to any initial conditions because there are no favored ones. Inflation, which is now the most successful early Universe paradigm, answers most of the early Universe's problems, including the fact that it is mostly stable. In this article, in addition to the inflationary solution, we systematically investigate every possible early Universe solution in the presence of a barotropic fluid in the general non-minimal (scalar-tensor) theory. In doing so, we rely upon the classical perturbative techniques. We find, to our surprise, that inflation does not always ensure stability in the Einstein frame, although ekpyrosis can. We also discover that, contrary to the inflationary paradigm, ekpyrosis always assures stability in the presence of any fluid with any equation of state in general non-minimal models. We utilize the conformal transformation to map the inflationary theory in the minimal frame to the ekpyrotic theory in the non-minimal frame, and show that the latter is always much more stable than the former, resulting in a much more preferred model that can even be studied in different contexts such as late time cosmology.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Effective field theory of magnetogenesis identify necessary and sufficient conditions

At astrophysical and cosmological scales, there is a detectable amount of magnetic field. There are several probable origins for this observed magnetic field, including the possibility of its origin in the early Universe. There are several models for primordial magnetogenesis, and if the inflationary background is taken into account, broken conformal invariance is required to generate a sufficient amount of magnetic field. The breaking of conformal invariance is introduced either by new couplings between electromagnetic field and inflaton field or including higher derivative terms to the theory. As a step to unify these different approaches in the literature, we propose an Effective Field Theory (EFT) approach based on expansion about the Hubble parameter $(H)$ and its derivatives, where EFT parameters describe the magnetogenesis scenario in the early Universe, and different choices of parameters correspond to different models. We explicitly show that the generation of primordial magnetic fields requires two necessary conditions -- conformal invariance breaking and causal propagation. While broken conformal invariance is a common requirement for primordial magnetogenesis, for the first time, we show that causal propagation is also a necessary condition. We confirm this by considering a specific model of primordial magnetogenesis.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Viable bounce from non-minimal inflation

The fundamental difficulty in constructing a viable classical bouncing model is to evade the no-go theorem that states that, simultaneously maintaining the observational bounds on the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the non-Gaussian scalar spectrum is not possible. Furthermore, constructing the bouncing phase leads to numerous instabilities such as gradient, ghost, and so on. Most importantly, the model fails to be an attractor, in general, meaning that the solution heavily depends on the initial conditions, resulting in anisotropic (BKL) instability in the system. In this paper, using conformal transformation, we construct a classical bouncing model from a non-minimal slow-roll inflationary model. As a result of the conformal transformation, we show that the model is free of the above instabilities and that it leads to a smooth transition from bouncing to the traditional reheating scenario. We also look at the dynamical analysis of the system in the presence of a barotropic fluid and discover that there exists a wide range of model parameters that allow the model to avoid the BKL instability, making it a viable alternative to inflationary dynamics.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Inflationary magnetogenesis: solving the strong coupling and its non-Gaussian signatures

The simplest model of primordial magnetogenesis can provide scale-invariant magnetic fields that can explain the present abundances of it in the cosmic scales. Two kinds of solutions of the coupling function can lead to such phenomena and both of them suffer from the problems of either strong-coupling or large backreaction. In this work, we consider the coupling function as a linear combination of both kinds with a model parameter. We find that the parameter needs to be as small as $\sim 10^{-20}$ in order to evade the backreaction problem. On the other hand, requiring that the modes above Mpc scales do not suffer strong coupling, we also obtain a weak constraint of the model parameter to be greater than $10^{-60}$. For the allowed range of the model parameter, we, then, analytically evaluate the cross-correlation functions between the magnetic fields and the curvature perturbation. We find that such a combination preserves the consistency relation. Also, the result leads to enhanced non-Gaussianity in equilateral as well as flattened limits with unique signatures that characterize the novelty of this model.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Stability of a viable non-minimal bounce

The main difficulties in constructing a viable early Universe bouncing model are: to bypass the observational and theoretical \emph{no-go} theorem, to construct a stable non-singular bouncing phase and perhaps, the major concern of it is to construct a stable attractor solution which can evade the BKL instability as well. In this article, in the homogeneous and isotropic background, we extensively study the stability analysis of the recently announced viable non-minimal bouncing theory in the presence of an additional barotropic fluid and show that, the bouncing solution remains stable and can evade BKL instability for a wide range of the model parameter. We provide the expressions that explain the behavior of the Universe in the vicinity of the required fixed point i.e., the bouncing solution and compare our results with the minimal theory and show that ekpyrosis is the most stable solution in any scenario.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Bounce from Inflation

We construct a class of viable bouncing models that are conformally related to cosmological inflation. There are three main difficulties in constructing such a model: (i) A stable (attractor) solution, (ii) A non-singular bounce, and (iii) to bypass the no-go theorem that states that simultaneously maintaining the observational bounds on the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the non-Gaussian scalar spectrum are not possible. We show that a non-minimal coupling of the scalar field helps to bypass these difficulties and provides a viable bouncing model with a naturally occurring reheating epoch briefly after the bouncing phase.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Einstein or Jordan: seeking answers from the reheating constraints

Distinguishing conformally coupled frames from the tree-level perturbative observables (scalar spectral index $n_{\rm s}$ and tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$) is challenging in cosmology as they are nearly identical. However, since the background evolution in these two frames differs significantly, we can look for potential signatures in the reheating constraints to discriminate these frames. In this work, we study the reheating phase in these frames and find that the difference in the inflationary energy scales in these frames contributes to a significant difference in the reheating e-folding number and hence, different reheating temperature. This difference will eventually lead to a contrasting thermal history in the two frames, which may have a potential observational signature in future observations. This study will open up an avenue for distinguishing various conformally connected otherwise indistinguishable frames and may finally lead us to the correct theory of gravity for our Universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Stable contraction in Brans-Dicke cosmology

Contracting Universe (including bouncing models) solution generally depends on the initial conditions and hence possesses an extreme fine-tuning problem. In order to probe the stability of those solutions, in this work, we consider the Brans-Dicke theory with the power law potential in the presence of an additional barotropic matter in the homogeneous and isotropic background. We study the phase space and obtain critical points. We find that the quadratic potential is a special case where one of the solutions always gives rise to de-Sitter solution in all conformally connected frame. We generalize the condition for arbitrary power law potential and find that contracting Universe solution can indeed lead to an attractor solution. In doing so, we also provide an example of a matter contracting Universe that leads to near scale-invariant spectra and study the behavior near the fixed point. In the vicinity of this point, the system behaves as the Universe contains three different types of matter. Amongst them, with time, energy densities of two effective fluids decay down and only the leading order solution survives. Therefore, the non-minimal coupling can address and solve the problem of fine-tuning of the contraction models and may open a different outlook.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Can non-minimal coupling restore the consistency condition in bouncing universes?

An important property of the three-point functions generated in the early universe is the so-called consistency condition. According to the condition, in the squeezed limit wherein the wavenumber of one of the three modes (constituting the triangular configuration of wavevectors) is much smaller than the other two, the three-point functions can be completely expressed in terms of the two-point functions. It is found that, while the consistency condition is mostly satisfied by the primordial perturbations generated in the inflationary scenario, it is often violated in the bouncing models. The validity of the consistency condition in the context of inflation can be attributed to the fact that the amplitude of the scalar and tensor perturbations freeze on super-Hubble scales. Whereas, in the bouncing scenarios, the amplitude of the scalar and tensor perturbations often grow rapidly as one approaches the bounce, leading to a violation of the condition. In this work, with the help of a specific example involving the tensor perturbations, we explicitly show that suitable non-minimal couplings can restore the consistency condition even in the bouncing models. We briefly discuss the implications of the result.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Note on stability in conformally connected frames

Dynamics in conformally connected frames are often referred to as 'equivalent'. In the context of cosmology, while the perturbations remain invariant for a single scalar field model, the background equations differ and therefore the dynamics. However, since the background dynamics are not the same, it is not clear whether the attractor nature of the solutions remains the same in all conformally connected frames, i.e., a stable solution in one frame implies an equivalent stable solution in another frame. To answer the question, in this work, we first consider power law cosmology in the Brans-Dicke theory as well as in the conformal Einstein frame. We show that, in this case, the attractor behavior is indeed equivalent under conformal transformation, i.e., an attractor solution in one frame implies an attractor solution in another frame. However, the decay rates of the deviations from the fixed points are different in the two frames. We are able to relate the behavior and find that the difference is due to the difference in e-fold 'clocks' in different frames, i.e., $\Delta N$ in different frames differ from one another. We show that the behavior is indeed true for any model in conformally connected frames and obtain the general 'equivalence' relation. In the context of inflation, we consider two models: Starobinsky and chaotic inflation, and explicitly point out the differences in these two frames. We show that the duration of inflation in any model in the Jordon frame is always higher than the Einstein frame.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

B-Mode auto-bispectrum due to matter bounce

Primordial Gravitational waves leave polarization imprints on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In this article, we investigate polarization bispectrum, which is also referred to as the B-mode auto bispectrum, due to a matter bounce Universe. For simplicity, we consider a minimally coupled Einstein frame and obtain an analytical integral expression for the bispectrum and numerically perform the integration. We find that the signal-to-noise ratio is small, when compared with the same in the inflationary paradigm and hence quite difficult to detect in the future experiments. Thus a detection of tensor mode bispectrum in future will be helpful in ruling out matter bounce model. Also, to ease the numerical evaluation of the bispectrum, we develop and use various techniques. We believe that these techniques can be used in various other contexts.

astro-ph.CO↗