http://arxiv.org/abs/1512.02089
Following the 2015 Planck release, we briefly comment on the status and some ongoing opportunities in the interface between inflationary cosmology, string theory, and CMB data. The constraints in the $r$-$n_s$ plane introduce a new parameter into inflationary cosmology relative to the simplest quadratic inflation model, in a direction which fits well with couplings to heavy fields as occurs in string theory. The precision of the data permits further searches for and constraints on additional model-dependent features, such as oscillatory $N$-spectra, a program requiring specific theoretically motivated shapes. Since the perturbations can easily be affected by additional sectors and couplings, null results can usefully bound such contributions. We also review the broader lessons string theory has contributed to our understanding of primordial inflation, and close with some approaches to a more complete framework. Published in a special volume of Comptes Rendus on Inflation: Theoretical and Observational Status.
E. Silverstein
Tue, 8 Dec 15
59/71
Comments: 20 pages
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