Observability of the total inflationary expansion

Details Observability of the total inflationary expansion Observability of the total inflationary expansion

2010-03-08

arxiv.org/abs/1003.1680v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

11 pages, RevTeX, no figures

Scientific paper

I consider the question of possible observability of the total number of e-folds accumulated during the epoch of inflation. The total number of observable e-folds has been previously constrained by the de Sitter entropy after inflation, assuming that the null energy condition (NEC) holds. The NEC is violated by upward fluctuations of the local Hubble rate, which occur with high probability in the fluctuation-dominated regime of inflation. These fluctuations lead at late times to the formation of black holes and thus limit the observability of inflationary evolution. I compute the maximum number of e-folds that can be observed in principle through measurements of the CMB at arbitrarily late times (if the dark energy disappears). The calculation also provides a reasonably precise definition of the boundary of the fluctuation-dominated regime, with an uncertainty of a few percent. In simple models of single-field inflation compatible with current CMB observations, I find of order 10^5. This upper bound on the observable e-folds, although model-dependent, is much smaller than the de Sitter entropy after inflation. The method of calculation can be used in other models of single-field inflation.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Observability of the total inflationary expansion does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Observability of the total inflationary expansion, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Observability of the total inflationary expansion will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-677995