Recovering the Inflationary Potential

Since its inception in 1981, inflation has
emerged as the dominant paradigm for describing the
physics of the early universe. While inflation has
matured theoretically over two decades, it has only
recently begun to be rigorously tested
observationally. Measurements of the cosmic
microwave background and large-scale structure
surveys have begun to unravel the mysteries
of the inflationary epoch with exquisite and
unprecedented accuracy. This work is a contribution
to the effort of reconstructing the physics of
inflation. This information is largely encoded in
the potential energy function of the inflaton, the
field that drives the inflationary expansion. With
little theoretical guidance as to the probable form
of this potential, reconstruction is a predominantly
data-driven endeavor. This work presents an
investigation and appraisal of the current
constraints that can be imposed on different
inflationary theories of the early universe.

Autorentext

Brian Powell is a cosmologist at the Institute for the Physicsand Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) at the University ofTokyo. He received his B.S. in physics from Rutgers Universityin 2002 and his Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo in 2008. His presentfocus is on theories of the very early universe, at the interfaceof cosmology and particle physics.

Klappentext

Since its inception in 1981, inflation hasemerged as the dominant paradigm for describing thephysics of the early universe. While inflation hasmatured theoretically over two decades, it has onlyrecently begun to be rigorously testedobservationally. Measurements of the cosmicmicrowave background and large-scale structuresurveys have begun to unravel the mysteriesof the inflationary epoch with exquisite andunprecedented accuracy. This work is a contributionto the effort of reconstructing the physics ofinflation. This information is largely encoded inthe potential energy function of the inflaton, thefield that drives the inflationary expansion. Withlittle theoretical guidance as to the probable formof this potential, reconstruction is a predominantlydata-driven endeavor. This work presents aninvestigation and appraisal of the currentconstraints that can be imposed on differentinflationary theories of the early universe.