%0 Journal Article
%T Revising the observable consequences of slow-roll inflation
%A Agullo, I.
%A Navarro-Salas, J.
%A Olmo, G. J.
%A Parker, L.
%J Physical Review D
%D 2010
%V 81
%N 4
%I Amer Physical Soc
%@ 1550-7998
%G English
%F Agullo_etal2010
%O ISI:000275898500028
%O exported from refbase (https://references.ific.uv.es/refbase/show.php?record=479), last updated on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:06:52 +0000
%X We study the generation of primordial perturbations in a (single-field) slow-roll inflationary Universe. In momentum space, these (Gaussian) perturbations are characterized by a zero mean and a nonzero variance Delta(2) (k, t). However, in position space the variance diverges in the ultraviolet. The requirement of a finite variance in position space forces one to regularize Delta(2) (k, t). This can (and should) be achieved by proper renormalization in an expanding Universe in a unique way. This affects the predicted scalar and tensorial power spectra (evaluated when the modes acquire classical properties) for wavelengths that today are at observable scales. As a consequence, the imprint of slow-roll inflation on the cosmic microwave background anisotropies is significantly altered. We find a nontrivial change in the consistency condition that relates the tensor-to-scalar ratio r to the spectral indices. For instance, an exact scale-invariant tensorial power spectrum, n(t) = 0, is now compatible with a nonzero ratio r approximate to 0.12 +/- 0.06, which is forbidden by the standard prediction (r = -8n(t)). The influence of relic gravitational waves on the cosmic microwave background may soon come within the range of planned measurements, offering a nontrivial test of the new predictions.
%R 10.1103/PhysRevD.81.043514
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/0911.0961
%U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.81.043514
%P 043514-14pp