Modifications to Cosmological Power Spectra from Scalar-Tensor Entanglement and their Observational Consequences

Abstract

We consider the effects of entanglement in the initial quantum state of scalar and tensor fluctuations during inflation. We allow the gauge-invariant scalar and tensor fluctuations to be entangled in the initial state and compute modifications to the various cosmological power spectra. We compute the angular power spectra ($C_l$'s) for some specific cases of our entangled state and discuss what signals one might expect to find in CMB data. This entanglement also can break rotational invariance, allowing for the possibility that some of the large scale anomalies in the CMB power spectrum might be explained by this mechanism.

29 pages, 15 figures Third version: Published in JCAP. Includes improvements to toy model in Section 5 to better explain origin of oscillations and changes to Appendix C to complement this discussion. The discussion in the final Appendix has also been slightly modified for clarity

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• Cosmic decoherence: primordial power spectra and non-Gaussianities
• Hamiltonian theory of classical and quantum gauge invariant perturbations in Bianchi I spacetimes
• Uniqueness of the Fock quantization of scalar fields in a Bianchi I cosmology with unitary dynamics
• Entangled Scalar and Tensor Fluctuations during Inflation
• Entanglement masquerading in the CMB
• Non-Gaussianity from Entanglement During Inflation
• Quantum Entanglement in Multi-field Inflation
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• Does Planck Actually "See" the Bunch-Davies State?
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• Constructing an entangled state in Heisenberg picture for inflationary cosmology
• Origin & evolution of the Universe
• Entangled states as a probe of early universe history: a Higgs case study