Slow-roll inflation with a Gauss-Bonnet correction

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.81.123520· OSTI ID:21408053

Zongkuan, Guo; Schwarz, Dominik J ^[1]

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1. Fakultaet fuer Physik, Universitaet Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501 Bielefeld (Germany)

We consider slow-roll inflation for a single scalar field with an arbitrary potential and an arbitrary nonminimal coupling to the Gauss-Bonnet term. By introducing a combined hierarchy of Hubble and Gauss-Bonnet flow functions, we analytically derive the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations. The standard consistency relation between the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the spectral index of tensor perturbations is broken. We apply this formalism to a specific model with a monomial potential and an inverse monomial Gauss-Bonnet coupling and constrain it by the 7-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data. The Gauss-Bonnet term with a positive (or negative) coupling may lead to a reduction (or enhancement) of the tensor-to-scalar ratio and hence may revive the quartic potential ruled out by recent cosmological data.

• OSTI ID: 21408053
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 81; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ANISOTROPY
CORRECTIONS
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
COUPLING
DISTURBANCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FUNCTIONS
GAUSS FUNCTION
HUBBLE EFFECT
INFLATIONARY UNIVERSE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PERTURBATION THEORY
RADIATIONS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPECTRA