Abstract
Primordial non-Gaussianity signatures of extremely heavy particles are re- examined within a simple alternative to the standard inflationary paradigm, in which the primordial fluctuations and the inflationary spacetime expansion are sourced by two different fields. The curvaton scenario provides an example of this in which the distinct roles are played by the curvaton and the inflaton fields, respectively. We study couplings of the curvaton to heavy particles with masses of order the inflationary Hubble scale, and show that they can lead to non-Gaussian signals orders of magnitude larger than those in standard inflation, consistent with explicit effective field theory control of inflationary dynamics. This brings various motivated particle physics signatures, such as loops of heavy gauge-charged scalars and fermions, within future observational reach.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
D. Baumann, Inflation, in Physics of the large and the small, TASI 09, proceedings of the Theoretical Advanced Study Institute in Elementary Particle Physics, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A., 1–26 June 2009, pp. 523–686 (2011) [DOI] [arXiv:0907.5424] [INSPIRE].
Planck collaboration, Planck 2018 results. X. Constraints on inflation, arXiv:1807.06211 [INSPIRE].
X. Chen and Y. Wang, Quasi-Single Field Inflation and Non-Gaussianities, JCAP04 (2010) 027 [arXiv:0911.3380] [INSPIRE].
D. Baumann and D. Green, Signatures of Supersymmetry from the Early Universe, Phys. Rev.D 85 (2012) 103520 [arXiv:1109.0292] [INSPIRE].
V. Assassi, D. Baumann and D. Green, On Soft Limits of Inflationary Correlation Functions, JCAP11 (2012) 047 [arXiv:1204.4207] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen and Y. Wang, Quasi-Single Field Inflation with Large Mass, JCAP09 (2012) 021 [arXiv:1205.0160] [INSPIRE].
T. Noumi, M. Yamaguchi and D. Yokoyama, Effective field theory approach to quasi-single field inflation and effects of heavy fields, JHEP06 (2013) 051 [arXiv:1211.1624] [INSPIRE].
S. Pi and M. Sasaki, Curvature Perturbation Spectrum in Two-field Inflation with a Turning Trajectory, JCAP10 (2012) 051 [arXiv:1205.0161] [INSPIRE].
J.-O. Gong, S. Pi and M. Sasaki, Equilateral non-Gaussianity from heavy fields, JCAP11 (2013) 043 [arXiv:1306.3691] [INSPIRE].
N. Arkani-Hamed and J. Maldacena, Cosmological Collider Physics, arXiv:1503.08043 [INSPIRE].
H. Lee, D. Baumann and G.L. Pimentel, Non-Gaussianity as a Particle Detector, JHEP12 (2016) 040 [arXiv:1607.03735] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Loop Corrections to Standard Model Fields in Inflation, JHEP08 (2016) 051 [arXiv:1604.07841] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Standard Model Background of the Cosmological Collider, Phys. Rev. Lett.118 (2017) 261302 [arXiv:1610.06597] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Standard Model Mass Spectrum in Inflationary Universe, JHEP04 (2017) 058 [arXiv:1612.08122] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Schwinger-Keldysh Diagrammatics for Primordial Perturbations, JCAP12 (2017) 006 [arXiv:1703.10166] [INSPIRE].
A. Kehagias and A. Riotto, On the Inflationary Perturbations of Massive Higher-Spin Fields, JCAP07 (2017) 046 [arXiv:1705.05834] [INSPIRE].
H. An, M. McAneny, A.K. Ridgway and M.B. Wise, Quasi Single Field Inflation in the non-perturbative regime, JHEP06 (2018) 105 [arXiv:1706.09971] [INSPIRE].
S. Kumar and R. Sundrum, Heavy-Lifting of Gauge Theories By Cosmic Inflation, JHEP05 (2018) 011 [arXiv:1711.03988] [INSPIRE].
D. Baumann, G. Goon, H. Lee and G.L. Pimentel, Partially Massless Fields During Inflation, JHEP04 (2018) 140 [arXiv:1712.06624] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Neutrino Signatures in Primordial Non-Gaussianities, JHEP09 (2018) 022 [arXiv:1805.02656] [INSPIRE].
H. An, M.B. Wise and Z. Zhang, de Sitter Quantum Loops as the origin of Primordial Non-Gaussianities, Phys. Rev.D 99 (2019) 056007 [arXiv:1806.05194] [INSPIRE].
X. Chen, A. Loeb and Z.-Z. Xianyu, Unique Fingerprints of Alternatives to Inflation in the Primordial Power Spectrum, Phys. Rev. Lett.122 (2019) 121301 [arXiv:1809.02603] [INSPIRE].
S. Kumar and R. Sundrum, Seeing Higher-Dimensional Grand Unification In Primordial Non-Gaussianities, JHEP04 (2019) 120 [arXiv:1811.11200] [INSPIRE].
N. Arkani-Hamed, D. Baumann, H. Lee and G.L. Pimentel, The Cosmological Bootstrap: Inflationary Correlators from Symmetries and Singularities, arXiv:1811.00024 [INSPIRE].
L. Li, T. Nakama, C.M. Sou, Y. Wang and S. Zhou, Gravitational Production of Superheavy Dark Matter and Associated Cosmological Signatures, JHEP07 (2019) 067 [arXiv:1903.08842] [INSPIRE].
Y.-P. Wu, L. Yang and A. Kusenko, Leptogenesis from spontaneous symmetry breaking during inflation, JHEP12 (2019) 088 [arXiv:1905.10537] [INSPIRE].
S. Alexander, S.J. Gates, L. Jenks, K. Koutrolikos and E. McDonough, Higher Spin Supersymmetry at the Cosmological Collider: Sculpting SUSY Rilles in the CMB, JHEP10 (2019) 156 [arXiv:1907.05829] [INSPIRE].
S. Lu, Y. Wang and Z.-Z. Xianyu, A Cosmological Higgs Collider, JHEP02 (2020) 011 [arXiv:1907.07390] [INSPIRE].
A. Hook, J. Huang and D. Racco, Searches for other vacua. Part II. A new Higgstory at the cosmological collider, JHEP01 (2020) 105 [arXiv:1907.10624] [INSPIRE].
A. Hook, J. Huang and D. Racco, Minimal signatures of the Standard Model in non-Gaussianities, Phys. Rev.D 101 (2020) 023519 [arXiv:1908.00019] [INSPIRE].
Planck collaboration, Planck 2018 results. IX. Constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity, arXiv:1905.05697 [INSPIRE].
M. Alvarez et al., Testing Inflation with Large Scale Structure: Connecting Hopes with Reality, arXiv:1412.4671 [INSPIRE].
A. Moradinezhad Dizgah and C. Dvorkin, Scale-Dependent Galaxy Bias from Massive Particles with Spin during Inflation, JCAP01 (2018) 010 [arXiv:1708.06473] [INSPIRE].
A. Moradinezhad Dizgah, H. Lee, J.B. Muñoz and C. Dvorkin, Galaxy Bispectrum from Massive Spinning Particles, JCAP05 (2018) 013 [arXiv:1801.07265] [INSPIRE].
P.D. Meerburg, M. Münchmeyer, J.B. Muñoz and X. Chen, Prospects for Cosmological Collider Physics, JCAP03 (2017) 050 [arXiv:1610.06559] [INSPIRE].
P. Creminelli, On non-Gaussianities in single-field inflation, JCAP10 (2003) 003 [astro-ph/0306122] [INSPIRE].
C. Cheung, P. Creminelli, A.L. Fitzpatrick, J. Kaplan and L. Senatore, The Effective Field Theory of Inflation, JHEP03 (2008) 014 [arXiv:0709.0293] [INSPIRE].
M. Alishahiha, E. Silverstein and D. Tong, DBI in the sky, Phys. Rev.D 70 (2004) 123505 [hep-th/0404084] [INSPIRE].
D. Baumann and D. Green, Equilateral Non-Gaussianity and New Physics on the Horizon, JCAP09 (2011) 014 [arXiv:1102.5343] [INSPIRE].
K. Enqvist and M.S. Sloth, Adiabatic CMB perturbations in pre-big bang string cosmology, Nucl. Phys.B 626 (2002) 395 [hep-ph/0109214] [INSPIRE].
D.H. Lyth and D. Wands, Generating the curvature perturbation without an inflaton, Phys. Lett.B 524 (2002) 5 [hep-ph/0110002] [INSPIRE].
T. Moroi and T. Takahashi, Effects of cosmological moduli fields on cosmic microwave background, Phys. Lett.B 522 (2001) 215 [Erratum ibid.B 539 (2002) 303] [hep-ph/0110096] [INSPIRE].
A. Loeb and M. Zaldarriaga, Measuring the small-scale power spectrum of cosmic density fluctuations through 21 cm tomography prior to the epoch of structure formation, Phys. Rev. Lett.92 (2004) 211301 [astro-ph/0312134] [INSPIRE].
D. Wands, K.A. Malik, D.H. Lyth and A.R. Liddle, A New approach to the evolution of cosmological perturbations on large scales, Phys. Rev.D 62 (2000) 043527 [astro-ph/0003278] [INSPIRE].
S. Weinberg, Adiabatic modes in cosmology, Phys. Rev.D 67 (2003) 123504 [astro-ph/0302326] [INSPIRE].
D.H. Lyth, C. Ungarelli and D. Wands, The Primordial density perturbation in the curvaton scenario, Phys. Rev.D 67 (2003) 023503 [astro-ph/0208055] [INSPIRE].
D.H. Lyth and Y. Rodriguez, The Inflationary prediction for primordial non-Gaussianity, Phys. Rev. Lett.95 (2005) 121302 [astro-ph/0504045] [INSPIRE].
N. Bartolo, S. Matarrese and A. Riotto, On nonGaussianity in the curvaton scenario, Phys. Rev.D 69 (2004) 043503 [hep-ph/0309033] [INSPIRE].
M. Sasaki, J. Valiviita and D. Wands, Non-Gaussianity of the primordial perturbation in the curvaton model, Phys. Rev.D 74 (2006) 103003 [astro-ph/0607627] [INSPIRE].
J.M. Maldacena, Non-Gaussian features of primordial fluctuations in single field inflationary models, JHEP05 (2003) 013 [astro-ph/0210603] [INSPIRE].
P. Creminelli and M. Zaldarriaga, Single field consistency relation for the 3-point function, JCAP10 (2004) 006 [astro-ph/0407059] [INSPIRE].
J.E. Kim, H.P. Nilles and M. Peloso, Completing natural inflation, JCAP01 (2005) 005 [hep-ph/0409138] [INSPIRE].
K. Choi, H. Kim and S. Yun, Natural inflation with multiple sub-Planckian axions, Phys. Rev.D 90 (2014) 023545 [arXiv:1404.6209] [INSPIRE].
S.H.H. Tye and S.S.C. Wong, Helical Inflation and Cosmic Strings, arXiv:1404.6988 [INSPIRE].
I. Ben-Dayan, F.G. Pedro and A. Westphal, Hierarchical Axion Inflation, Phys. Rev. Lett.113 (2014) 261301 [arXiv:1404.7773] [INSPIRE].
Y. Bai and B.A. Stefanek, Natural millicharged inflation, Phys. Rev.D 91 (2015) 096012 [arXiv:1405.6720] [INSPIRE].
A. de la Fuente, P. Saraswat and R. Sundrum, Natural Inflation and Quantum Gravity, Phys. Rev. Lett.114 (2015) 151303 [arXiv:1412.3457] [INSPIRE].
Y. Kawamura, Gauge symmetry breaking from extra space S1/Z2 , Prog. Theor. Phys.103 (2000) 613 [hep-ph/9902423] [INSPIRE].
Y. Kawamura, Triplet doublet splitting, proton stability and extra dimension, Prog. Theor. Phys.105 (2001) 999 [hep-ph/0012125] [INSPIRE].
L.J. Hall and Y. Nomura, Grand unification in higher dimensions, Annals Phys.306 (2003) 132 [hep-ph/0212134] [INSPIRE].
B. Allen and C.A. Lütken, Spinor Two Point Functions in Maximally Symmetric Spaces, Commun. Math. Phys.106 (1986) 201 [INSPIRE].
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
ArXiv ePrint: 1908.11378
Rights and permissions
This article is published under an open access license. Please check the 'Copyright Information' section either on this page or in the PDF for details of this license and what re-use is permitted. If your intended use exceeds what is permitted by the license or if you are unable to locate the licence and re-use information, please contact the Rights and Permissions team.
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, S., Sundrum, R. Cosmological collider physics and the curvaton. J. High Energ. Phys. 2020, 77 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2020)077
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2020)077