HIGH ENERGY THEORY / RELATIVITY / COSMOLOGY SEMINARS

Spring 2008

Monday April 28 Seminar at 1.00pm :

GHAZAL GESHNIZJANI (Perimeter Institute)

Title : Constraining the Inflationary Action with Cosmological Observations

Abstract:

If inflation is to be considered in an unbiased way, as possibly originating from one of a wide range of underlying theories, then observations need not be simply applied to reconstructing the inflaton potential, V(\phi), or a specific kinetic term, as in DBI inflation, but rather to reconstruct the inflationary action in its entirety. I will discuss the constraints that can be placed on a general single field action from measurements of the primordial scalar and tensor fluctuation power spectra and non-Gaussianities. I will also present the flow equation formalism for reconstructing a general inflationary Lagrangian, in a general gauge, that reduces to canonical and DBI inflation in a specific gauge.

Host : Saulson

 

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