TY - JOUR AU - Easther, R. AU - Price, L. C. AU - Rasero, J. PY - 2014 DA - 2014// TI - Inflating an inhomogeneous universe T2 - J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. JO - Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics SP - 041 EP - 16pp VL - 08 IS - 8 PB - Iop Publishing Ltd KW - inflation KW - initial conditions and eternal universe KW - physics of the early universe AB - While cosmological inflation can erase primordial inhomogeneities, it is possible that inflation may not begin in a significantly inhomogeneous universe. This issue is particularly pressing in multifield scenarios, where even the homogeneous dynamics may depend sensitively on the initial configuration. This paper presents an initial survey of the onset of inflation in multifield models, via qualitative lattice-based simulations that do not include local gravitational backreaction. Using hybrid inflation as a test model, our results suggest that small subhorizon inhomogeneities do play a key role in determining whether inflation begins in multifield scenarios. Interestingly, some configurations which do not inflate in the homogeneous limit "succeed" after inhomogeneity is included, while other initial configurations which inflate in the homogeneous limit "fail" when inhomogeneity is added. SN - 1475-7516 UR - http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1406.2869 UR - https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2014/08/041 DO - 10.1088/1475-7516/2014/08/041 LA - English N1 - WOS:000341848800041 ID - Easther_etal2014 ER -