Date of Award

9-2013

Document type

dissertation

Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Program

Physics

First Advisor

Lorenzo Sorbo

Second Advisor

John Donoghue

Third Advisor

Laura Cadonati

Subject Categories

Other Physics | Physics

Abstract

This dissertation looks for possible observable signals of tensor metric perturbations sourced during slow roll inflation from decay of the inflaton field into other intermediary fields. We focus on two main scenarios, one of explosive production of intermediary fields for a short period during inflation and another of prolonged production of vectors due to a derivative coupling of the vectors with the inflaton field. We only find a possible observable signal of tensor perturbations in the second case.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/f236-9f82

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