Aspects of Nonlinear Perturbations in Cosmological Models
Abstract: I discuss two instances in which nonlinear perturbations in cosmological models are important. First, in de Sitter space-time, the bare necessity that the perturbations should be part of a consistent Taylor expansion of the field equations leads to the requirement, using the 'linearization stability' arguments of the '70's, that the quantum field theory of a scalar field on de Sitter space-time is manifestly de Sitter invariant (not covariant). Second, the concern that in slow-roll inflation the effect of second order perturbations on the long wavelength (super Hubble) perturbations could be much stronger than that of the first order perturbations, for a wide range of slow-roll conditions, is explored in the context of a linear inflation potential and chaotic inflation.
Date: 04/12/2006 - 9:00 am
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