Rudnei O. Ramos

Warm inflation and its microphysical basis

The microscopic quantum field theory origins of warm inflation dynamics are reviewed. The warm inflation scenario is first described along with its results, predictions and comparison with the standard cold inflation scenario. The basics of thermal field theory required in the study of warm inflation are discussed. Quantum field theory real time calculations at finite temperature are then presented and the derivation of dissipation and stochastic fluctuations are shown from a general perspective. Specific results are given of dissipation coefficients for a variety of quantum field theory interaction structures relevant to warm inflation, in a form that can be readily used by model builders. Different particle physics models realizing warm inflation are presented along with their observational predictions.

Strong dissipative behavior in quantum field theory

We study the conditions under which an overdamped regime can be attained in the dynamic evolution of a quantum field configuration. Using a real-time formulation of finite temperature field theory, we compute the effective evolution equation of a scalar field configuration, quadratically interacting with a given set of other scalar fields. We then show that, in the overdamped regime, the dissipative kernel in the field equation of motion is closely related to the shear viscosity coefficient, as computed in scalar field theory at finite temperature. The effective dynamics is equivalent to a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau description of the approach to equilibrium in phenomenological theories of phase transitions. Applications of our results, including a recently proposed inflationary scenario called {open_quotes}warm inflation,{close_quotes} are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}

Microphysical approach to nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum fields

We examine the nonequilibrium dynamics of a self-interacting [lambda][phi][sup 4] scalar field theory. Using a real time formulation of finite temperature field theory we derive, up to two loops and [ital O]([lambda][sup 2]), the effective equation of motion describing the approach to equilibrium. We present a detailed analysis of the approximations used in order to obtain a Langevin-like equation of motion, in which the noise and dissipation terms associated with quantum fluctuations obey a fluctuation-dissipation relation. We show that, in general, the noise is colored (time dependent) and multiplicative (couples nonlinearly to the field), even though it is still Gaussian distributed. The noise becomes white in the infinite temperature limit. We also address the effect of couplings to other fields, which we assume play the role of the thermal bath, in the effective equation of motion for [phi]. In particular, we obtain the fluctuation and noise terms due to a quadratic coupling to another scalar field.

General dissipation coefficient in low-temperature warm inflation

In generic particle physics models, the inflaton field is coupled to other bosonic and fermionic fields that acquire large masses during inflation and may decay into light degrees of freedom. This leads to dissipative effects that modify the inflationary dynamics and may generate a nearly-thermal radiation bath, such that inflation occurs in a warm rather than supercooled environment. In this work, we perform a numerical computation and obtain expressions for the associated dissipation coefficient in supersymmetric models, focusing on the regime where the radiation temperature is below the heavy mass threshold. The dissipation coefficient receives contributions from the decay of both on-shell and off-shell degrees of freedom, which are dominant for small and large couplings, respectively, taking into account the light field multiplicities. In particular, we find that the contribution from on-shell decays, although Boltzmann-suppressed, can be much larger than that of virtual modes, which is bounded by the validity of a perturbative analysis. This result opens up new possibilities for realizations of warm inflation in supersymmetric field theories.

Dissipation coefficients from scalar and fermion quantum field interactions

Dissipation coefficients are calculated in the adiabatic, near thermal equilibrium regime for a large class of renormalizable interaction configurations involving a two-stage mechanism, where a background scalar field is coupled to heavy intermediate scalar or fermion fields which in turn are coupled to light scalar or fermion radiation fields. These interactions are typical of warm inflation microscopic model building. Two perturbative regimes are shown where well defined approximations for the spectral functions apply. One regime is at high temperature, when the masses of both intermediate and radiation fields are less than the temperature scale and where the poles of the spectral functions dominate. The other regime is at low temperature, when the intermediate field masses are much bigger than the temperature and where the low energy and low three-momentum regime dominate the spectral functions. The dissipation coefficients in these two regimes are derived. However, due to resummation issues for the high temperature case, only phenomenological approximate estimates are provided for the dissipation in this regime. In the low temperature case, higher loop contributions are suppressed and so no resummation is necessary. In addition to inflationary cosmology, the application of our results to cosmological phase transitions is also discussed.

The importance of being warm (during inflation)

Article history: The amplitude of primordial curvature perturbations is enhanced when a radiation bath at a temperature T > H is sustained during inflation by dissipative particle production, which is particularly significant when a non-trivial statistical ensemble of inflaton fluctuations is also maintained. Since gravitational modes are oblivious to dissipative dynamics, this generically lowers the tensor-to-scalar ratio and yields a modified consistency relation for warm inflation, as well as changing the tilt of the scalar spectrum. We show that this alters the landscape of observationally allowed inflationary models, with for example the quartic chaotic potential being in very good agreement with the Planck results for nearly-thermal inflaton fluctuations, whilst essentially ruled out for an underlying vacuum state. We also discuss other simple models that are in agreement with the Planck data within a renormalizable model of warm inflation.

A first principles warm inflation model that solves the cosmological horizon and flatness problems

A quantum field theory warm inflation model is presented that solves the horizon and flatness problems. The model obtains, from the elementary dynamics of particle physics, cosmological scale factor trajectories that begin in a radiation dominated regime, enter an inflationary regime, and then smoothly exit back into a radiation dominated regime, with non-negligible radiation throughout the evolution. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

Shear viscous effects on the primordial power spectrum from warm inflation

We compute the primordial curvature spectrum generated during warm inflation, including shear viscous effects. The primordial spectrum is dominated by the thermal fluctuations of the radiation bath, sourced by the dissipative term of the inflaton field. The dissipative coefficient Υ, computed from first principles in the close-to-equilibrium approximation, depends in general on the temperature T, and this dependence renders the system of the linear fluctuations coupled. Whenever the dissipative coefficient is larger than the Hubble expansion rate H, there is a growing mode in the fluctuations before horizon crossing. However, dissipation intrinsically means departures from equilibrium, and therefore the presence of a shear viscous pressure in the radiation fluid. This in turn acts as an extra friction term for the radiation fluctuations that tends to damp the growth of the perturbations. Independently of the T functional dependence of the dissipation and the shear viscosity, we find that when the shear viscous coefficient ζ{sub s} is larger than 3ρ{sub r}/H at horizon crossing, ρ{sub r} being the radiation energy density, the shear damping effect wins and there is no growing mode in the spectrum.

Affinity for scalar fields to dissipate

The zero-temperature effective equation of motion is derived for a scalar field interacting with other fields. For a broad range of cases, involving interaction with as few as one or two fields, dissipative regimes are found for the scalar field system. The zero-temperature limit constitutes a baseline effect that will be prevalent in any general statistical state. Thus, the results found here provide strong evidence that dissipation is the norm not the exception for an interacting scalar field system. For application to inflationary cosmology, this provides convincing evidence that warm inflation could be a natural dynamics once proper treatment of the interactions is done. The results found here also may have applicability to entropy production during the chiral phase transition in heavy-ion collision.

Construction of a robust warm inflation mechanism

A dissipative mechanism is presented, which emerges in generic interacting quantum field systems and which leads to robust warm inflation. An explicit example is considered, where using typical parameter values, it is shown that considerable radiation can be produced during inflation. The extension of our results to expanding spacetime also is discussed.