Primordial gravitational waves for universality classes of pseudoscalar inflation
- AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, CEA, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 10, rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France)
Current bounds from the polarization of the CMB predict the scale-invariant gravitational wave (GW) background of inflation to be out of reach for upcoming GW interferometers. This prospect dramatically changes if the inflaton is a pseudoscalar, in which case its generic coupling to any abelian gauge field provides a new source of GWs, directly related to the dynamics of inflation. This opens up new ways of probing the scalar potential responsible for cosmic inflation. Dividing inflation models into universality classes, we analyze the possible observational signatures. One of the most promising scenarios is Starobinsky inflation, which may lead to observational signatures both in direct GW detection as well as in upcoming CMB detectors. In this case, the complementarity between the CMB and direct GW detection, as well as the possibility of a multi-frequency analysis with upcoming ground and space based GW interferometers, may provide a first clue to the microphysics of inflation.
- OSTI ID:
- 22679677
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 2016, Issue 06; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1475-7516
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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