Constraints on scalar and tensor spectra from N_eff

DOI10.1088/1475-7516/2019/06/007zbMATH Open1481.83030arXiv1903.11843OpenAlexW2923252909MaRDI QIDQ5862976FDOQ5862976

Authors: Ido Ben-Dayan, Brian Keating, David Leon, Ira Wolfson 

Publication date: 10 March 2022

Published in: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: At the linear level, the gravitational wave (GW) spectrum predicted by inflation, and many of its alternatives, can have arbitrarily small amplitude and consequently an unconstrained tilt. However, at second order, tensor fluctuations are sourced by scalar fluctuations that have been measured in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). These second order fluctuations generically produce a minimum amount of tensor perturbations corresponding to a tensor-to-scalar ratio of $rsim10^{-6}$. Inverting this relationship yields a bound on the tensor tilt sourced by scalar fluctuations. Since this induced GW spectrum depends on the scalar spectrum, we derive a new indirect bound that involves extit{all scales} of the scalar spectrum based on CMB observations. This bound comes from the constraint on the number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom, $N_{eff}$. We estimate the bound using current data, and the improvements expected by future CMB experiment. The bound forces the running and running of running to conform to standard slow-roll predictions of $$, improving on current CMB measurements by an order of magnitude. This bound has further implications for the possibility of primordial black holes as dark matter candidates. Performing a likelihood analysis including this new constraint, we find that positive $alpha$ and/or $$ are disfavored at least at $1sigma$. Finally, using bounds on the fractional energy density of gravitational waves today obtained by LIGO and the Pulsar Timing Array, we obtain a bound on the primordial scalar spectrum on these scales and give forecast for future measurements.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.11843

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zbMATH Keywords

gravitational waves/theorycosmological parameters from CMBRgravitational waves/sources

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Gravitational waves (83C35)

Cited In (8)

• Let effective field theory of inflation flow: stochastic generation of models with red/blue tensor tilt
• Inflationary potential as seen from different angles: model compatibility from multiple CMB missions
• Gravitational-wave background in bouncing models from semi-classical, quantum and string gravity
• Constraining the inflationary potential with spectral distortions
• Tensorial NSI and unparticle physics in neutrino scattering
• Tracking the multifield dynamics with cosmological data: a Monte Carlo approach
• Effects of a pre-inflationary de Sitter bounce on the primordial gravitational waves in \(f(R)\) gravity theories
• Analytic correlation of inflationary potential to power spectrum shape: limits of validity, and `no-go' for small field model analytics

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