Non-gaussianity from the trispectrum in general single field inflation

Abstract

We compute the fourth order action in perturbation theory for scalar and second order tensor perturbations for a minimally coupled single field inflationary model, where the inflaton's lagrangian is a general function of the field's value and its kinetic energy. We obtain the fourth order action in two gauges, the comoving gauge and the uniform curvature gauge. Using the comoving gauge action we calculate the trispectrum at leading order in slow-roll, finding agreement with a previously known result in the literature. We point out that in general to obtain the correct leading order trispectrum one cannot ignore second order tensor perturbations as previously done by others. The next-to-leading order corrections may become detectable depending on the shape and we provide the necessary formalism to calculate them.

v2: reference added, typos corrected, replaced to match published version v3: arguments on the full 4th order interaction hamiltonian corrected

References in corpus (4)

• The cosmological gravitational wave background from primordial density perturbations
• Primordial trispectrum from inflation
• The Inflationary Trispectrum for Models with Large Non-Gaussianities
• de Sitter limit of inflation and nonlinear perturbation theory

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Cosmological Interpretation
• Non-Gaussianity, Spectral Index and Tensor Modes in Mixed Inflaton and Curvaton Models
• Signature of Primordial Non-Gaussianity on Matter Power Spectrum
• Primordial Non-Gaussianities of General Multiple Field Inflation
• On the Issue of the ζSeries Convergence and Loop Corrections in the Generation of Observable Primordial Non-Gaussianity in Slow-Roll Inflation. Part I: the Bispectrum
• Simple Bounds from the Perturbative Regime of Inflation
• On the full quantum trispectrum in multi-field DBI inflation
• Lorentz boost and non-Gaussianity in multi-field DBI-inflation
• Primordial Trispectrum from Entropy Perturbations in Multifield DBI Model
• Consistency Relations for Non-Gaussianity
• On the four-dimensional effective theories in brane-worlds