skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: B-mode polarization in Einstein-aether theory

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)
  2. Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)

We study how the dynamical vector degree of freedom in modified gravity affects the CMB B-mode polarization in terms of the Einstein-aether theory. In this theory, vector perturbations can be generated from inflation, which can grow on superhorizon scales in the subsequent epochs and thereby leaves imprints on the CMB B-mode polarization. We derive the linear perturbation equations in a covariant formalism, and compute the CMB B-mode polarization using the CAMB code modified so as to incorporate the effect of the aether vector field. We find that the amplitude of the B-mode signal from the aether field can be larger than the contribution from the inflationary gravitational waves for reasonable initial conditions and for a viable range of model parameters, in which perturbation modes propagate superluminally. We also give an analytic argument explaining the shape of the spectrum based on the tight coupling approximation.

OSTI ID:
21607934
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 84, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.84.084051; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English