Quantum corrections to slow-roll inflation: scalar and tensor modes

Abstract

Inflation is often described through the dynamics of a scalar field, slow-rolling in a suitable potential. Ultimately, this inflaton must be identified as the expectation value of a quantum field, evolving in a quantum effective potential. The shape of this potential is determined by the underlying tree-level potential, dressed by quantum corrections from the scalar field itself and the metric perturbations. Following [1], we compute the effective scalar field equations and the corrected Friedmann equations to quadratic order in both scalar field, scalar metric and tensor perturbations. We identify the quantum corrections from different sources at leading order in slow-roll, and estimate their magnitude in benchmark models of inflation. We comment on the implications of non-minimal coupling to gravity in this context.

arXiv comment26 pages, no figures. v2: Version matches published paper

References in corpus (24)

• Non-Gaussian features of primordial fluctuations in single field inflationary models
• Non-Gaussianity from Inflation: Theory and Observations
• Equilibrium State of a Massless Self-Interacting Scalar Field in the De Sitter Background
• Hilltop Inflation
• Stochastic Quantum Gravitational Inflation
• Infrared effects in inflationary correlation functions
• On the one loop corrections to inflation and the CMB anisotropies
• Spacetime curvature and the Higgs stability during inflation
• Non-factorizable Contributions to $B\to \pi \pi$ Decays
• Spacetime curvature and Higgs stability after inflation
• One-loop corrections to a scalar field during inflation
• On Resumming Inflationary Perturbations beyond One-loop
• Infrared dynamics in de Sitter space from Schwinger-Dyson equations
• Effective potential for quantum scalar fields on a de Sitter geometry
• A Simple Method for One-Loop Renormalization in Curved Space-Time
• Scalar field correlator in de Sitter space at next-to-leading order in a 1/N expansion
• Quantum radiative corrections to slow-roll inflation
• On the Physical Significance of Infra-red Corrections to Inflationary Observables
• Gravitational Wave Spectrums from Pole-like Inflations based on Generalized Gravity Theories
• Quantum field thermalization in expanding backgrounds
• Quantum corrections to scalar field dynamics in a slow-roll space-time
• Quantum Corrections to Inflaton and Curvaton Dynamics
• Quantum corrections to inflation: the importance of RG-running and choosing the optimal RG-scale
• Quantum corrections to inflaton dynamics, the semi-classical approach and the semi-classical limit