arXiv subjects

Robert H. Brandenberger

Publications and source records attributed to Robert H. Brandenberger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Stringy black-hole gas in $α'$-corrected dilaton gravity

We discuss the properties of the gas of primordial `stringy' black holes possibly formed in the high-curvature phase preceding the bouncing transition to the phase of standard cosmological evolution. We show that the regime dominated by such a string-hole gas can be consistently described by explicit solutions of the string effective action including first-order $α'$ corrections. We present a phase space analysis of the stability of such solutions comparing the results obtained from different actions and including the possibility of $O(d,d)$-symmetric configurations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Beyond Standard Inflationary Cosmology

The inflationary scenario is not the only paradigm of early universe cosmology which is consistent with current observations. General criteria will be presented which any successful early universe model must satisfy. Various ways, including inflation, will be presented which satisfy these conditions. It will then be argued that if nature is described at a fundamental level by superstring theory, a cosmology without an initial space-time singularity will emerge, and a structure formation scenario which does not include inflation may be realized.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Analytic Study of Cosmological Perturbations in a Unified Model of Dark Matter and Dark Energy with a Sharp Transition

We study cosmological perturbations in a model of unified dark matter and dark energy with a sharp transition in the late-time universe. The dark sector is described by a dark fluid which evolves from an early stage at redshifts $z > z_C$ when it behaves as cold dark matter (CDM) to a late time dark energy (DE) phase ($z < z_C$) when the equation of state parameter is $w = -1 + ε$, with a constant $ε$ which must be in the range $0 < ε< 2/3$. We show that fluctuations in the dark energy phase suffer from an exponential instability, the mode functions growing both as a function of comoving momentum $k$ and of conformal time $η$. In order that this exponential instability does not lead to distortions of the energy density power spectrum on scales for which we have good observational results, the redshift $z_C$ of transition between the two phases is constrained to be so close to zero that the model is unable to explain the supernova data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Inflationary magneto-(non)genesis, increasing kinetic couplings, and the strong coupling problem

We study the generation of magnetic fields during inflation making use of a coupling of the inflaton and moduli fields to electromagnetism via the photon kinetic term, and assuming that the coupling is an increasing function of time. We demonstrate that the strong coupling problem of inflationary magnetogenesis can be avoided by incorporating the destabilization of moduli fields after inflation. The magnetic field always dominates over the electric one, and thus the severe constraints on the latter from backreaction, which are the demanding obstacles in the case of a decreasing coupling function, do not apply to the current scenario. However, we show that this loophole to the strong coupling problem comes at a price: the normalization of the amplitude of magnetic fields is determined by this coupling term and is therefore suppressed by a large factor after the moduli destabilization completes. From this we conclude that there is no self-consistent and generic realization of primordial magnetogenesis producing scale-invariant fields in the case of an increasing kinetic coupling.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Singularities in Spherically Symmetric Solutions with Limited Curvature Invariants

We investigate static, spherically symmetric solutions in gravitational theories which have limited curvature invariants, aiming to remove the singularity in the Schwarzschild space-time. We find that if we only limit the Gauss-Bonnet term and the Ricci scalar, then the singularity at the origin persists. Moreover we find that the event horizon can develop a curvature singularity. We also investigate a new class of theories in which all components of the Riemann tensor are bounded. We find that the divergence of the quadratic curvature invariants at the event horizon is avoidable in this theory. However, other kinds of singularities due to the dynamics of additional degrees of freedom cannot be removed, and the space-time remains singular.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Massive gravity and the suppression of anisotropies and gravitational waves in a matter-dominated contracting universe

We consider a modified gravity model with a massive graviton, but which nevertheless only propagates two gravitational degrees of freedom and which is free of ghosts. We show that non-singular bouncing cosmological background solutions can be generated. In addition, the mass term for the graviton prevents anisotropies from blowing up in the contracting phase and also suppresses the spectrum of gravitational waves compared to that of the scalar cosmological perturbations. This addresses two of the main problems of the matter bounce scenario.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Cosmological perturbations and stability of nonsingular cosmologies with limiting curvature

We revisit nonsingular cosmologies in which the limiting curvature hypothesis is realized. We study the cosmological perturbations of the theory and determine the general criteria for stability. For the simplest model, we find generic Ostrogradski instabilities unless the action contains the Weyl tensor squared with the appropriate coefficient. When considering two specific nonsingular cosmological scenarios(one inflationary and one genesis model), we find ghost and gradient instabilities throughout most of the cosmic evolution. Furthermore, we show that the theory is equivalent to a theory of gravity where the action is a general function of the Ricci and Gauss-Bonnet scalars, and this type of theory is known to suffer from instabilities in anisotropic backgrounds. This leads us to construct a new type of curvature invariant scalar function. We show that it does not have Ostrogradski instabilities, and it avoids ghost and gradient instabilities for most of the interesting background inflationary and genesis trajectories. We further show that it does not possess additional new degrees of freedom in an anisotropic spacetime. This opens the door for studying stable alternative nonsingular very early universe cosmologies.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Disruption of Cosmic String Wakes by Gaussian Fluctuations

We study the stability of cosmic string wakes against the disruption by the dominant Gaussian fluctuations which are present in cosmological models. We find that for a string tension given by $G μ= 10^{-7}$ wakes remain locally stable until a redshift of $z = 6$, and for a value of $G μ= 10^{-14}$ they are stable beyond a redshift of $z = 20$. We study a global stability criterion which shows that wakes created by strings at times after $t_{eq}$ are identifiable up to the present time, independent of the value of $G μ$. Taking into account our criteria it is possible to develop strategies to search for the distinctive position space signals in cosmological maps which are induced by wakes.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Black hole formation in a contracting universe

We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations in a contracting universe. We aim to determine under which conditions density perturbations grow to form large inhomogeneities and collapse into black holes. Our method consists in solving the cosmological perturbation equations in complete generality for a hydrodynamical fluid. We then describe the evolution of the fluctuations over the different length scales of interest and as a function of the equation of state for the fluid, and we explore two different types of initial conditions: quantum vacuum and thermal fluctuations. We also derive a general requirement for black hole collapse on sub-Hubble scales, and we use the Press-Schechter formalism to describe the black hole formation probability. For a fluid with a small sound speed (e.g., dust), we find that both quantum and thermal initial fluctuations grow in a contracting universe, and the largest inhomogeneities that first collapse into black holes are of Hubble size and the collapse occurs well before reaching the Planck scale. For a radiation-dominated fluid, we find that no black hole can form before reaching the Planck scale. In the context of matter bounce cosmology, it thus appears that only models in which a radiation-dominated era begins early in the cosmological evolution are robust against the formation of black holes. Yet, the formation of black holes might be an interesting feature for other models. We comment on a number of possible alternative early universe scenarios that could take advantage of this feature.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Preheating and Entropy Perturbations in Axion Monodromy Inflation

We study the preheating of gauge fields in a simple axion monodromy model and compute the induced entropy perturbations and their effect on the curvature fluctuations. We find that the correction to the spectrum of curvature perturbations has a blue spectrum with index $n_s = 5/2$. Hence, these induced modes are harmless for the observed structure of the universe. Since the spectrum is blue, there is the danger of overproduction of primordial black holes. However, we show that the observational constraints are easily satisfied.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Fluctuations in a Cosmology with a Space-Like Singularity and their Gauge Theory Dual Description

We consider a time-dependent deformation of anti-de-Sitter (AdS) space-time which contains a cosmological "singularity" - a space-like region of high curvature. Making use of the AdS/CFT correspondence we can map the bulk dynamics onto the boundary. The boundary theory has a time dependent coupling constant which becomes small at times when the bulk space-time is highly curved. We investigate the propagation of small fluctuations of a test scalar field from early times before the bulk singularity to late times after the singularity. Under the assumption that the AdS/CFT correspondence extends to deformed AdS space-times, we can map the bulk evolution of the scalar field onto the evolution of the boundary gauge field. The time evolution of linearized fluctuations is well defined in the boundary theory as long as the coupling remains finite, so that we can extend the boundary perturbations to late times after the singularity. Assuming that the spacetime in the future of the singularity has a weakly coupled region near the boundary, we reconstruct the bulk fluctuations after the singularity crossing making use of generic properties of boundary-to-bulk propagators. Finally, we extract the spectrum of the fluctuations at late times given some initial spectrum. We find that the spectral index is unchanged, but the amplitude increases due to the squeezing of the fluctuations during the course of the evolution. This investigation can teach us important lessons on how the spectrum of cosmological perturbations passes through a bounce which is singular from the bulk point of view but which is resolved using an ultraviolet complete theory of quantum gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Big Bounce Genesis

We report on the possibility to use dark matter particle's mass and its cross section as a smoking gun signal of the existence of a Big Bounce at the early stage in the evolution of our currently observed universe. A model independent study of dark matter production in the pre-bounce contraction and the post-bounce expansion epochs of the bounce universe reveals a new venue for achieving the observed relic abundance of our present universe, in which a significantly smaller amount of dark matter with a smaller cross section -- as compared to the prediction of Standard Cosmology -- is produced and carries the information about the bounce universe evolution. Once the values of dark matter mass and cross section are obtained by direct detection in laboratories, this alternative route becomes a signature of the bounce universe scenario.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Evolution of cosmological perturbations and the production of non-Gaussianities through a nonsingular bounce: Indications for a no-go theorem in single field matter bounce cosmologies

Assuming that curvature perturbations and gravitational waves originally arise from vacuum fluctuations in a matter-dominated phase of contraction, we study the dynamics of the cosmological perturbations evolving through a nonsingular bouncing phase described by a generic single scalar field Lagrangian minimally coupled to Einstein gravity. In order for such a model to be consistent with the current upper limits on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, there must be an enhancement of the curvature fluctuations during the bounce phase. We show that, while it remains possible to enlarge the amplitude of curvature perturbations due to the nontrivial background evolution, this growth is very limited because of the conservation of curvature perturbations on super-Hubble scales. We further perform a general analysis of the evolution of primordial non-Gaussianities through the bounce phase. By studying the general form of the bispectrum we show that the non-Gaussianity parameter $f_{\mathrm{NL}}$ (which is of order unity before the bounce phase) is enhanced during the bounce phase if the curvature fluctuations grow. Hence, in such nonsingular bounce models with matter given by a single scalar field, there appears to be a tension between obtaining a small enough tensor-to-scalar ratio and not obtaining a value of $f_{\mathrm{NL}}$ in excess of the current upper bounds. This conclusion may be considered as a "no-go" theorem that rules out any single field matter bounce cosmology starting with vacuum initial conditions for the fluctuations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

The Effect of Primordial Non-Gaussianities on the Seeds of Super-Massive Black Holes

The origin of the seeds which develop into the observed super-massive black holes at high redshifts may be hard to interpret in the context of the standard $ΛCDM$ of early universe cosmology based on Gaussian primordial perturbations. Here we consider the modification of the halo mass function obtained by introducing skewness and kurtosis of the primordial fluctuations. We show that such primordial non-Gaussianities constrained by the current observational bounds on the nonlinearity parameters of $f_{NL}$ and $g_{NL}$ are not effective at greatly increasing the number density of seeds which could develop into super-massive black holes at high redshifts. This is to be contrasted with the role which cosmic string loops could play in seeding super-massive black holes.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Cosmic String Loops as the Seeds of Super-Massive Black Holes

Recent discoveries of super-massive black holes at high redshifts indicate a possible tension with the standard Lambda CDM paradigm of early universe cosmology which has difficulties in explaining the origin of the required nonlinear compact seeds which trigger the formation of these super-massive black holes. Here we show that cosmic string loops which result from a scaling solution of strings formed during a phase transition in the very early universe lead to an additional source of compact seeds. The number density of string-induced seeds dominates at high redshifts and can help trigger the formation of the observed super-massive black holes.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Nonsingular Cosmology from an Unstable Higgs Field

The observed value of the Higgs mass indicates an instability of the Higgs scalar at large energy scales, and hence also at large field values. In the context of early universe cosmology, this is often considered to lead to problems. Here we point out that we can use the instability of the Higgs field to generate an Ekpyrotic phase of contraction. In the context of string theory it is possible that at very high energy densities extra states become massless, leading to an S-brane which leads to the transition between a contracting phase in the past and the current expanding phase. Thus, the Higgs field can be used to generate a non-singular bouncing cosmology in which the anisotropy problem of usual bouncing scenarios is mitigated.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Parametric Resonance of Entropy Perturbations in Massless Preheating

Here, we revisit the question of possible preheating of entropy modes in a two field model with a massless inflaton coupled to a matter scalar field. Using a perturbative approximation to the covariant method we demonstrate that there is indeed a parametric instability of the entropy mode which then at second order leads to exponential growth of the curvature fluctuation on super-Hubble scale. Back-reaction effects shut off the induced curvature fluctuations, but possibly not early enough to prevent phenomenological problems. This confirms previous results obtained using different methods and resolves a controversy in the literature.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Cosmic Strings and the Origin of Globular Clusters

We hypothesize that cosmic string loops are the seeds about which globular clusters accrete. Fixing the cosmic string tension by demanding that the peak in the distribution of masses of objects accreting onto string loops agrees with the peak in the observed mass distribution of globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy, we then compute the expected number density and mass function of globular clusters, and compare with observations. Our hypothesis naturally explains why globular clusters are the oldest and most dense objects in a galaxy, and why they are found in the halo of the galaxy.

astro-ph.CO↗