TY  - JOUR
AU  - Boubekeur, L.
AU  - Giusarma, E.
AU  - Mena, O.
AU  - Ramirez, H.
PY  - 2015
DA  - 2015//
TI  - Do current data prefer a nonminimally coupled inflaton?
T2  - Phys. Rev. D
JO  - Physical Review D
SP  - 103004
EP  - 6pp
VL  - 91
IS  - 10
PB  - Amer Physical Soc
AB  - We examine the impact of a nonminimal coupling of the inflaton to the Ricci scalar, 1/2 xi R phi(2), on the inflationary predictions. Such a nonminimal coupling is expected to be present in the inflaton Lagrangian on fairly general grounds. As a case study, we focus on the simplest inflationary model governed by the potential V proportional to phi(2), using the latest combined 2015 analysis of Planck and the BICEP2/Keck Array. We find that the presence of a coupling xi is favored at a significance of 99% C.L., assuming that nature has chosen the potential V proportional to phi(2) to generate the primordial perturbations and a number of e-foldings N = 60. Within the context of the same scenario, we find that the value of xi is different from zero at the 2 sigma level. When considering the cross-correlation polarization spectra from the BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck, a value of r = 0.038(-0.030)(+0.039) is predicted in this particular nonminimally coupled scenario. Future cosmological observations may therefore test these values of r and verify or falsify the nonminimally coupled model explored here.
SN  - 1550-7998
UR  - http://arxiv.org/abs/1502.05193
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.91.103004
DO  - 10.1103/PhysRevD.91.103004
LA  - English
N1  - WOS:000354979300001
ID  - Boubekeur_etal2015
ER  -