arXiv subjects

Ghazal Geshnizjani

Publications and source records attributed to Ghazal Geshnizjani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravitational Wave Bias in IllustrisTNG300 from Machine-Learned Population-Synthesis Calibrated Merger Rates

The large scale clustering of gravitational wave (GW) sources offers an independent probe of cosmology and compact-binary astrophysics. Interpreting future GW clustering measurements requires understanding how merger rates depend on host-galaxy properties and environment. We develop a simulation-based framework to model the clustering of binary black hole (BBH) mergers and estimate the corresponding GW bias. We populate IllustrisTNG300 with GW sources using a machine-learning emulator trained on the GALAXYRATE data set, which provides population-synthesis calibrated merger rates linked to galaxy formation histories. This enables physically motivated mock GW catalogs with galaxy-specific BBH merger rates that depend on stellar mass, star formation rate, metallicity, and redshift. We compare this framework to a simpler phenomenological model in which the merger rate depends only on stellar mass. In both approaches, GW sources are more strongly biased than the overall galaxy population, reflecting the preference for BBH mergers to occur in more massive, more strongly clustered halos. The machine-learned model also produces stronger scale dependence in the GW bias than stellar-mass weighting alone, indicating that additional host properties affect GW clustering. We further find that metallicity correlates positively with both GW and galaxy bias. These results highlight the importance of physically motivated merger rate models for GW large scale structure analyses and provide a framework for interpreting future clustering measurements from experiments such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Modeling Gravitational Wave Bias from 3D Power Spectra of Spectroscopic Surveys

We present a framework for relating gravitational wave (GW) sources to the astrophysical properties of spectroscopic galaxy samples. We show how this can enable using clustering measurements of GW sources to infer the relationship between the GW sources and the astrophysical properties of their host galaxies. We accomplish this by creating mock GW catalogs from the spectroscopic Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7 galaxy survey. We populate the GWs using a joint host-galaxy probability function defined over stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and metallicity. This probability is modeled as the product of three broken power-law distributions, each with a turnover point motivated by astrophysical processes governing the relation between current-day galaxy properties and binary black hole (BBH) mergers, such as galaxy quenching and BBH delay time. Given that our analysis is anchored in the specific properties and selection characteristics of the adopted galaxy sample, as well as assumptions regarding the host-galaxy probability functions and BBH merger rate prescriptions, the resulting trends should be regarded as model-dependent. Within this framework, our results show that GW bias is most sensitive to host-galaxy probability dependence on stellar mass, with increases of up to $\sim O (10)\%$ relative to galaxy bias as the stellar mass pivot scale rises. We also find a notable relationship between GW bias and SFR: when the host-galaxy probability favors low-SFR galaxies, the GW bias significantly increases. In contrast, we observe no strong correlation between GW bias and metallicity. These findings suggest that the spatial clustering of GW sources is primarily driven by the stellar mass and SFR of their host galaxies and shows how GW bias measurements can inform models of the host-galaxy probability function.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

How Much NEC Breaking Can the Universe Endure?

Quantum fields can notoriously violate the null energy condition (NEC). In a cosmological context, NEC violation can lead to, e.g., dark energy at late times with an equation-of-state parameter smaller than $-1$ and nonsingular bounces at early times. However, it is expected that there should still be a limit in semiclasssical gravity to how much `negative energy' can accumulate over time and in space as a result of quantum effects. In the course of formulating quantum-motivated energy conditions, the smeared null energy condition has emerged as a recent proposal. This condition conjectures the existence of a semilocal bound on negative energy along null geodesics, which is expected to hold in semiclassical gravity. In this work, we show how the smeared null energy condition translates into theoretical constraints on NEC-violating cosmologies. Specifically, we derive the implied bounds on dark energy equation-of-state parameters and an inequality between the duration of a bouncing phase and the growth rate of the Hubble parameter at the bounce. In the case of dark energy, we identify the parameter space over which the smeared null energy condition is consistent with the recent constraints from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Cuscuton Bounce Beyond the Linear Regime: Bispectrum and Strong Coupling Constraints

Cuscuton Gravity is characterized as a scalar field that can be added to general relativity without introducing any new dynamical degrees of freedom on a cosmological background. Yet, it modifies gravity such that spacetime singularities can be avoided. This has led to the Cuscuton bounce, a nonsingular cosmology that has been shown to be linearly stable, which is a rare feat. Upon introducing mechanisms known to generate a near-scale-invariant power spectrum of isocurvature perturbations in the prebounce contracting phase, we perform an extensive linear analysis of all scalar perturbations as they evolve through the Cuscuton bounce, both analytically and numerically. Then, after deriving the third-order perturbed action for our theory, we compare the magnitude of its terms (on shell) to those in the second-order action. We show that perturbativity is maintained in the infrared throughout the evolution, including through the bounce. In the ultraviolet, we show that a hierarchy of scales is maintained, with the strong coupling scale well above the relevant background energy scale at all times. We reconfirm these results by computing the three-point functions in various limits and demonstrate that the models do not have any strong coupling problems and furthermore that there is negligible non-Gaussianities on observable scales. Consequently, the primary potential source of observable non-Gaussianities may only arise from the conversion of isocurvature perturbations to curvature perturbations. The whole scenario is thus a robust, stable, weakly coupled nonsingular cosmological model, consistent with observations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

The Gravitational Wave Bias Parameter from Angular Power Spectra: Bridging Between Galaxies and Binary Black Holes

This study presents the modeling of the gravitational wave (GW) bias parameter by bridging a connection between simulated GW sources and galaxies in low redshift galaxy surveys 2MPZ and WISExSCOS (WISC). We study this connection by creating a mock GW catalog, populating galaxy surveys with binary black holes (BBHs) for different scenarios of the GW host-galaxy probability as a function of the galaxy stellar mass. We probe the observable consequences of this connection by exploring the spatial clustering of the GW sources in terms of the GW bias parameter. We consider a phenomenological broken power law model for the host-galaxy probability function, with a potential turnover $M_{K}$ at high stellar mass ($10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$ in the fiducial model) where the star formation efficiency begins to drop. We vary the parameters of the GW host-galaxy probability function and find that generically the GW bias increases as $M_{K}$ increases (and gets suppressed as $M_{K}$ decreases). The change in the GW bias parameter shows a maximum change of about $30\%$ for different scenarios explored in this work in comparison to the galaxy bias. Future measurements of the GW bias can help constrain $M_{K}$ and the slopes of the host-galaxy probability function and thus offer insights into the underlying astrophysical processes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Inference of Hubble constant using standard sirens and reconstructed matter density field

We summarise a new approach for measuring the Hubble constant using standard sirens and the reconstructed matter density field obtained from observed galaxy surveys. Specifically, we describe and test this method using the Bayesian forward-modelled software BORG. This software evolves the initial density field to the present, sampling plausible density fields from the posterior, accounting for peculiar velocities, and automatically incorporating higher-order correlation functions. The advantage of adding additional information from correlations is expected to make this method more effective in low-signal-to-noise regimes, such as those with modest galaxy number density or incomplete surveys. Our results show that developing a cross-correlation framework between gravitational waves and galaxy surveys, based on the forward-modelled reconstructed density field, to measure H0 is promising. This review is based on the research conducted as part of Boruah's Ph.D. thesis.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

On the initial singularity and extendibility of flat quasi-de Sitter spacetimes

Inflationary spacetimes have been argued to be past geodesically incomplete in many situations. However, whether the geodesic incompleteness implies the existence of an initial spacetime curvature singularity or whether the spacetime may be extended (potentially into another phase of the universe) is generally unknown. Both questions have important physical implications. In this paper, we take a closer look at the geometrical structure of inflationary spacetimes and investigate these very questions. We first classify which past inflationary histories have a scalar curvature singularity and which might be extendible and/or non-singular in homogeneous and isotropic cosmology with flat spatial sections. Then, we derive rigorous extendibility criteria of various regularity classes for quasi-de Sitter spacetimes that evolve from infinite proper time in the past. Finally, we show that beyond homogeneity and isotropy, special continuous extensions respecting the Einstein field equations with a perfect fluid must have the equation of state of a de Sitter universe asymptotically. An interpretation of our results is that past-eternal inflationary scenarios are most likely physically singular, except in situations with very special initial conditions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Non-Gaussianities in the Extended EFT of Inflation

In earlier works, we studied the validity of Extended Effective Field Theory of Inflation (EEFToI) in the regime where initial conditions are set with dispersion relations $ω^2 \propto k^6$. We had also evaluated and examined the power spectrum for some interesting corners of the parameter space. In this paper, we compute the bispectrum in the EEFToI, take a closer look at the strong coupling constraints and calculate the size of the non-Gaussianities in those regions of parameter space. We also investigate the shape of triangles that contribute to the enhancement of non-Gaussianities in this regime. We find that there are allowed parts of parameter spaces where EEFToI description with initial conditions set with $ω^2 \propto k^6$ is sensible and interesting.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Spectrum of Cuscuton Bounce

It has been recently shown that a cosmological bounce model based on Cuscuton gravity does not have any ghosts or curvature instabilities. We explore whether Cuscuton bounce can provide an alternative to inflation for generating near scale-invariant scalar perturbations. While a single field Cuscuton bounce generically produces a strongly blue power spectrum (for a variety of initial/boundary conditions), we demonstrate that scale invariant entropy modes can be generated in a spectator field that starts in adiabatic vacuum, and is kinetically coupled to the primary field. Furthermore, our solution has no singularity, nor requires an ad hoc matching condition. We also study the generation of tensor modes (or gravitational waves) in Cuscuton bounce and show that while they are stable, similar to other bounce models, the produced spectrum is strongly blue and unobservable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Keeping an Eye on DBI: Power-counting for small-$c_s$ Cosmology

Inflationary mechanisms for generating primordial fluctuations ultimately compute them as the leading contributions in a derivative expansion, with corrections controlled by powers of derivatives like the Hubble scale over Planck mass: $H/M_p$. At face value this derivative expansion breaks down for models with a small sound speed, $c_s$, to the extent that $c_s \ll 1$ is obtained by having higher-derivative interactions like $\mathfrak{L}_{\rm eff} \sim (\partial Φ)^4$ compete with lower-derivative propagation. This concern arises more generally for models whose lagrangian is given as a function $P(X)$ for $X = -\partial_μΦ\partial^μΦ$ --- including in particular DBI models for which $P(X) \propto \sqrt{1-kX}$ --- since these keep all orders in $\partial Φ$ while dropping $\partial^n Φ$ for $n > 1$. We here find a sensible power-counting scheme for DBI models that gives a controlled expansion in powers of three types of small parameters: $H/M_p$, slow-roll parameters (possibly) and $c_s \ll 1$. We do not find a similar expansion framework for generic small-$c_s$ or $P(X)$ models. Our power-counting result quantifies the theoretical error for any prediction (such as for inflationary correlation functions) by fixing the leading power of these small parameters that is dropped when not computing all graphs (such as by restricting to the classical approximation); a prerequisite for meaningful comparisons with observations. The new power-counting regime arises because small $c_s$ alters the kinematics of free fluctuations in a way that changes how interactions scale at low energies, in particular allowing $1-c_s$ to be larger than derivative-measuring quantities like $(H/M_p)^2$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Cuscuton Bounce

In general relativity producing a regular bounce entails violation of Null Energy Condition for a dynamical source in the model. That generically indicates existence of ghosts or other instabilities. However, in cuscuton modification of gravity, the correspondence between a background bounce and violation of Null Energy Condition for dynamical sources is broken. Cuscuton is an Infra Red modification and it can make the background go through a regular bounce. At the same time, since it does not contain any dynamical degrees of freedom, it does not lead to ghosts or other instabilities. Here, we present a toy scenario of a regular bouncing cosmology and prove this claim. Our model is presented as a proof of concept at this point and does not aim to explain observations in late time cosmology.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Extended Effective Field Theory of Inflation

We present a general framework where the effective field theory of single field inflation is extended by the inclusion of operators with mass dimension 3 and 4 in the unitary gauge. These higher dimensional operators introduce quartic and sextic corrections to the dispersion relation. We study the regime of validity of this extended effective field theory of inflation and the effect of these higher dimensional operators on CMB observables associated with scalar perturbations, such as the speed of sound, the amplitude of the power spectrum and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. Tensor perturbations remain instead, unaltered.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Getting Super-Excited with Modified Dispersion Relations

We demonstrate that in some regions of parameter space, modified dispersion relations can lead to highly populated excited states, which we dub as "super-excited" states. In order to prepare such super-excited states, we invoke dispersion relations that have negative slope in an interim sub-horizon phase at high momenta. This behaviour of quantum fluctuations can lead to large corrections relative to the Bunch-Davies power spectrum, which mimics highly excited initial conditions. We identify the Bogolyubov coefficients that can yield these power spectra. In the course of this computation, we also point out the shortcomings of the gluing method for evaluating the power spectrum and the Bogolyubov coefficients. As we discuss, there are other regions of parameter space, where the power spectrum does not get modified. Therefore, modified dispersion relations can also lead to so-called "calm excited states" as well. We conclude by commenting on the possibility of obtaining these modified dispersion relations within the Effective Field Theory of Inflation.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Theory of Cosmological Perturbations with Cuscuton

This paper presents the first derivation of the quadratic action for curvature perturbations, $ζ$, within the framework of cuscuton gravity. We study the scalar cosmological perturbations sourced by a canonical single scalar field in the presence of cuscuton field. We identify $ζ$ as comoving curvature with respect to the source field and we show that it retains its conservation characteristic on super horizon scales. The result provides an explicit proof that cuscuton modification of gravity around Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric is ghost free. We also investigate the potential development of other instabilities in cuscuton models. We find that in a large class of these models, there is no generic instability problem. However, depending on the details of slow-roll parameters, specific models may display gradient instabilities.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Theoretical implications of detecting gravitational waves

This paper is the third in a series of theorems which state how cosmological observations can provide evidence for an early phase of acceleration in the universe. Previous theorems demonstrated that the observed power spectrum for scalar perturbations forces all possible alternative theories of inflation to theories other than General Relativity. It was shown that generically, without a phase of accelerated expansion, these alternatives have to break at least one of the following tenets of classical general relativity: the Null Energy Condition (NEC), subluminal signal propagation, or sub-Planckian energy densities. In this paper we prove how detection of primordial gravitational waves at large scales can provide independent evidence to support a phase of accelerated expansion. This proof does not rely on the spectral index for tensor modes but relies on validity of quantum field theory in curved space time and tensor modes being sourced from adiabatic vacuum fluctuations. Our approach, like in the case of scalars, is proof by contradiction: we investigate the possibility of a detectable tensor signal sourced by vacuum fluctuations in a non-accelerating, sub-Planckian universe using cosmological perturbation theory and derive contradictory limits on cosmological dynamics. The contradiction implies that one or more of our axioms for early universe must have been broken. The bound from tensor perturbations is not only independent of, but also stronger than the one obtained from scalar power spectrum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Can non-local or higher derivative theories provide alternatives to inflation?

The standard mechanism for producing the observed scale-invariant power spectrum from adiabatic vacuum fluctuations relies on first order derivative of fields in the action for curvature perturbations. It has been proven \cite{Geshnizjani:2011dk} that, under this ansatz, any theory of early universe that matches cosmological observations should include a phase of accelerated expansion (i.e. inflation) or it has to break at least one of the following tenets of classical general relativity: Null Energy Conditions (NEC), subluminal signal propagation, or sub-Planckian energy densities. We extend this proof to a large class of theories with higher (spatial) derivative or non-local terms in the action. Interestingly, only theories in the neighborhood of Lifshitz points with $ω_k \propto k^0$ and $k^3$ remain viable.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Horizon-preserving dualities and perturbations in non-canonical scalar field cosmologies

We generalize the cosmological duality between inflation and cyclic contraction under the interchange $a \leftrightarrow H$ to the case of non-canonical scalar field theories with varying speed of sound. The single duality in the canonical case generalizes to a family of three dualities constructed to leave the cosmological acoustic horizon invariant. We find three classes of models: (I) DBI inflation, (II) the non-canonical generalization of cyclic contraction, and (III) a new cosmological solution with rapidly decreasing speed of sound and relatively slowly growing scale factor, which we dub {\it stalled} cosmology. We construct dual analogs to the inflationary slow roll approximation, and solve for the curvature perturbation in all three cases. Both cyclic contraction and stalled cosmology predict a strongly blue spectrum for the curvature perturbations inconsistent with observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Eternal inflation and a thermodynamic treatment of Einstein's equations

In pursuing the intriguing resemblance of the Einstein equations to thermodynamic equations, most sharply seen in systems possessing horizons, we suggest that eternal inflation of the stochastic type may be a fruitful phenomenon to explore. We develop a thermodynamic first law for quasi-de Sitter space, valid on the horizon of a single observer's Hubble patch and explore consistancy with previous proposals for horizons of various types in dynamic and static situations. We use this framework to demonstrate that for the local observer fluctuations of the type necessary for stochastic eternal inflation fall within the regime where the thermodynamic approach is believed to apply. This scenario is interesting because of suggestive parallels to black hole evaporation.

gr-qc↗