Loop contributions to cosmological correlations and experimental constrains on chaotic inflation

by Dr Martin Sloth (University of Aarhus)

Wednesday 27 Jun 2007, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

1/1-025 (CERN)

We will discuss the possibility that loop corrections to cosmological correlations can depend on the whole history of the universe, not just on the behavior of fields at horizon exit, and thus probe physics which is not accessible at tree level. In particular, in chaotic inflation the loop corrections are sensitive to the self- reproduction scale and may be relatively large. We will also discuss current experimental constraints on chaotic inflation and the role of a non-vanishing neutrino mass. Suggested reading: 1) "Quantum contributions to cosmological correlations. II. Can these corrections become large?" hep-th/0605244 (Steven Weinberg) 2) "On the one loop corrections to inflation and the CMB anisotropies I & II" astro-ph/0604488 & hep-th/0612138 (MSS). 3) "How robust are inflation model and dark matter constraints from cosmological data?" astro-ph/0611582 (J. Hamann, S. Hannestad, MSS, Y.Y.Y. Wong)