Scalar Contribution to the Graviton Self-Energy During Inflation

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1127920· OSTI ID:1127920

Park, Sohyun ^[1]

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1. Florida U.

We use dimensional regularization to evaluate the one loop contribution to the graviton self-energy from a massless, minimally coupled scalar on a locally de Sitter background. For noncoincident points our result agrees with the stress tensor correlators obtained recently by Perez-Nadal, Roura and Verdaguer. We absorb the ultraviolet divergences using the $R^2$ and $C^2$ counterterms first derived by 't Hooft and Veltman, and we take the $D=4$ limit of the finite remainder. The renormalized result is expressed as the sum of two transverse, 4th order differential operators acting on nonlocal, de Sitter invariant structure functions. In this form it can be used to quantum-correct the linearized Einstein equations so that one can study how the inflationary production of infrared scalars affects the propagation of dynamical gravitons and the force of gravity. We have seen that they have no effect on the propagation of dynamical gravitons. Our computation motivates a conjecture for the first correction to the vacuum state wave functional of gravitons. We comment as well on performing the same analysis for the more interesting contribution from inflationary gravitons, and on inferring one loop corrections to the force of gravity.

• Research Organization: Florida U.
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1127920
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-THESIS-2012-33; oai:inspirehep.net:1220491
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS