Quantum origin of the primordial fluctuation spectrum and its statistics

Abstract

The usual account for the origin of cosmic structure during inflation is not fully satisfactory, as it lacks a physical mechanism capable of generating the inhomogeneity and anisotropy of our Universe, from an exactly homogeneous and isotropic initial state associated with the early inflationary regime. The proposal in [A. Perez, H. Sahlmann, and D. Sudarsky, Classical Quantum Gravity, 23, 2317, (2006)] considers the spontaneous dynamical collapse of the wave function, as a possible answer to that problem. In this work, we review briefly the difficulties facing the standard approach, as well as the answers provided by the above proposal and explore their relevance to the investigations concerning the characterization of the primordial spectrum and other statistical aspects of the cosmic microwave background and large-scale matter distribution. We will see that the new approach leads to novel ways of considering some of the relevant questions, and, in particular, to distinct characterizations of the non-Gaussianities that might have left imprints on the available data.

27 pages. Revision to match the published version

References in corpus (53)

• Seven-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Cosmological Interpretation
• Decoherence, the measurement problem, and interpretations of quantum mechanics
• Non-Gaussianity from Inflation: Theory and Observations
• Classical Equations for Quantum Systems
• Dynamical Reduction Models
• Single field consistency relation for the 3-point function
• Semiclassicality and Decoherence of Cosmological Perturbations
• The shape of non-Gaussianities
• Non-Gaussianities in Single Field Inflation and their Optimal Limits from the WMAP 5-year Data
• Gravitation and quantummechanical localization of macroobjects
• On the Consistent Histories Approach to Quantum Mechanics
• Limits on non-Gaussianities from WMAP data
• Hunting for Primordial Non-Gaussianity in the Cosmic Microwave Background
• Decoherence, Einselection, and the Existential Interpretation (the Rough Guide)
• Primordial non-Gaussianity and Bispectrum Measurements in the Cosmic Microwave Background and Large-Scale Structure
• Review of local non-Gaussianity from multi-field inflation
• Choice of Consistent Family, and Quantum Incompatibility
• Relativistic state reduction dynamics
• Against Many-Worlds Interpretations
• On the quantum origin of the seeds of cosmic structure
• Why Decoherence has not Solved the Measurement Problem: A Response to P. W. Anderson
• Decoherence during Inflation: the generation of classical inhomogeneities
• On Spontaneous Wave Function Collapse and Quantum Field Theory
• Cosmological Inflation and the Quantum Measurement Problem
• Shortcomings in the Understanding of Why Cosmological Perturbations Look Classical
• Measurement of the Schrodinger wave of a single particle
• How Many New Worlds Are Inside a Black Hole?
• Consistent Sets Yield Contrary Inferences in Quantum Theory
• Inflationary Cosmology as a Probe of Primordial Quantum Mechanics
• Primordial Non-Gaussianity in the Cosmic Microwave Background
• Decoherence in quantum cosmology at the onset of inflation
• Ekpyrotic Non-Gaussianity -- A Review
• Fast Estimator of Primordial Non-Gaussianity from Temperature and Polarization Anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background II: Partial Sky Coverage and Inhomogeneous Noise
• Quantum-to-classical transition of primordial cosmological perturbations in de Broglie--Bohm quantum theory
• Phenomenological analysis of quantum collapse as source of the seeds of cosmic structure
• Towards a formal description of the collapse approach to the inflationary origin of the seeds of cosmic structure
• Cosmological constraints on non-standard inflationary quantum collapse models
• Best Unbiased Estimates for the Microwave Background Anisotropies
• The self-induced approach to decoherence in cosmology
• Many worlds in one
• The No-Boundary Measure in the Regime of Eternal Inflation
• The slow roll condition and the amplitude of the primordial spectrum of cosmic fluctuations: Contrasts and similarities of standard account and the "collapse scheme"
• Can the Decoherent Histories Description of Reality be Considered Satisfactory?
• Origin of classical structure from inflation
• Non-Gaussian corrections to the probability distribution of the curvature perturbation from inflation
• Decoherence Functional and Inhomogeneities in the Early Universe
• Multiple quantum collapse of the inflaton field and its implications on the birth of cosmic structure
• Quantum Physics and Human Language
• The collapse of the wave function in the joint metric-matter quantization for inflation
• Generalizing Quantum Mechanics for Quantum Gravity
• About the Notion of Truth in the Decoherent Histories Approach: a reply to Griffiths
• Do Cosmological Perturbations Have Zero Mean?
• Novel Possibility of Nonstandard Statistics in the Inflationary Spectrum of Primordial Inhomogeneities

Cited by in corpus (35)

• Benefits of Objective Collapse Models for Cosmology and Quantum Gravity
• Impact of dynamical collapse models on inflationary cosmology
• On the choice of the collapse operator in cosmological Continuous Spontaneous Localisation (CSL) theories
• Relativistic collapse dynamics and black hole information loss
• Less Decoherence and More Coherence in Quantum Gravity, Inflationary Cosmology and Elsewhere
• The collapse of the wave function in the joint metric-matter quantization for inflation
• Black Holes: Information Loss But No Paradox
• Emergence of inflationary perturbations in the CSL model
• Expectation of primordial gravity waves generated during inflation
• A Non-static Quantum inspired Spacetime in $f(R)$ Gravity: Gravity's Rainbow
• Origin of structure: Statistical characterization of the primordial density fluctuations and the collapse of the wave function
• Constraining quantum collapse inflationary models with CMB data
• Constraining quantum collapse inflationary models with current data: The semiclassical approach
• Primordial gravitational waves and the collapse of the wave function
• Inflation including collapse of the wave function: The quasi-de Sitter case
• Finding origins of CMB anomalies in the inflationary quantum fluctuations
• Inhomogeneities from quantum collapse scheme without inflation
• Semiclassical Self Consistent Treatment of the Emergence of Seeds of Cosmic Structure. The second order construction
• Eternal inflation and the quantum birth of cosmic structure
• Quasi-matter bounce and inflation in the light of the CSL model
• Inflationary gravitational waves in collapse scheme models
• A (not so?) novel explanation for the very special initial state of the universe
• Novel Possibility of Nonstandard Statistics in the Inflationary Spectrum of Primordial Inhomogeneities
• Quantum collapse as source of the seeds of cosmic structure during the radiation era
• Enlightening the CSL model landscape in inflation
• A dialog on the fate of information in black hole evaporation
• Reconstruction of inflationary scenarios in non-conservative unimodular gravity
• On signatures of spontaneous collapse dynamics modified single field inflation
• Emergent universe: tensor perturbations within the CSL framework
• Emergent universe revisited through the CSL theory
• Novel vacuum conditions in inflationary collapse models
• Observational constraints on inflationary potentials within the quantum collapse framework
• Revisiting astrophysical bounds on continuous spontaneous localization models
• Observational constraints on the second-order primordial power spectrum: Exploring a Continuous Spontaneous Localization inspired inflationary model
• The `unitarity problem' of Higgs inflation in the light of collapse dynamics