pith. sign in

Productive Interactions: heavy particles and non-Gaussianity

5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.

5 Pith papers citing it
abstract

We analyze the shape and amplitude of oscillatory features in the primordial power spectrum and non-Gaussianity induced by periodic production of heavy degrees of freedom coupled to the inflaton $\phi$. We find that non-adiabatic production of particles can contribute effects which are detectable or constrainable using cosmological data even if their time-dependent masses are always heavier than the scale $\dot \phi^{1/2}$, much larger than the Hubble scale. This provides a new role for UV completion, consistent with the criteria from effective field theory for when heavy fields cannot be integrated out. This analysis is motivated in part by the structure of axion monodromy, and leads to an additional oscillatory signature in a subset of its parameter space. At the level of a quantum field theory model that we analyze in detail, the effect arises consistently with radiative stability for an interesting window of couplings up to of order $\lesssim 1$. The amplitude of the bispectrum and higher-point functions can be larger than that for Resonant Non-Gaussianity, and its signal/noise may be comparable to that of the corresponding oscillations in the power spectrum (and even somewhat larger within a controlled regime of parameters). Its shape is distinct from previously analyzed templates, but was partly motivated by the oscillatory equilateral searches performed recently by the {\it Planck} collaboration. We also make some general comments about the challenges involved in making a systematic study of primordial non-Gaussianity.

citation-role summary

background 2

citation-polarity summary

fields

hep-th 5

verdicts

UNVERDICTED 5

roles

background 2

polarities

background 2

representative citing papers

Strongly Coupled Sectors in Inflation: Gapped Theories of Unparticles

hep-th · 2025-12-29 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Compactified 5D unparticle theories generate gapped excitations whose exchange in inflationary correlators yields oscillations modulated by anomalous dimensions and possible interference patterns under brane-localized interactions.

Strongly Coupled Sectors in Inflation: Gapless Theories and Unparticles

hep-th · 2025-03-22 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Computes inflationary bispectra and trispectra from tree-level unparticle exchanges using Mellin-Barnes methods and symmetry-based differential equations, revealing that full shapes are needed to distinguish unparticles from light particles.

The UV Sensitivity of Axion Monodromy Inflation

hep-th · 2024-12-07 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

In a string-inspired two-field axion monodromy model, oscillatory modulations excite heavy moduli during inflation, producing detectable cosmological collider signals in the primordial bispectrum that bypass Boltzmann suppression.

Massive Exchange and the Sign of the Equilateral Bispectrum

hep-th · 2026-04-07 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

The equilateral bispectrum from massive scalar exchange in inflation is not universally negative in the full EFT of inflation; its sign depends on a critical ratio of operator coefficients.

citing papers explorer

Showing 5 of 5 citing papers.

  • Every Wrinkle Carries A Memory: An Integro-differential Bootstrap for Features in Cosmological Correlators hep-th · 2025-10-31 · unverdicted · none · ref 48 · internal anchor

    Derives integro-differential boundary equations from bulk locality for scale-breaking cosmological correlators with oscillating heavy-field masses and solves them analytically and numerically to reveal enhanced collider signals.

  • Strongly Coupled Sectors in Inflation: Gapped Theories of Unparticles hep-th · 2025-12-29 · unverdicted · none · ref 71 · internal anchor

    Compactified 5D unparticle theories generate gapped excitations whose exchange in inflationary correlators yields oscillations modulated by anomalous dimensions and possible interference patterns under brane-localized interactions.

  • Strongly Coupled Sectors in Inflation: Gapless Theories and Unparticles hep-th · 2025-03-22 · unverdicted · none · ref 29 · internal anchor

    Computes inflationary bispectra and trispectra from tree-level unparticle exchanges using Mellin-Barnes methods and symmetry-based differential equations, revealing that full shapes are needed to distinguish unparticles from light particles.

  • The UV Sensitivity of Axion Monodromy Inflation hep-th · 2024-12-07 · unverdicted · none · ref 36 · internal anchor

    In a string-inspired two-field axion monodromy model, oscillatory modulations excite heavy moduli during inflation, producing detectable cosmological collider signals in the primordial bispectrum that bypass Boltzmann suppression.

  • Massive Exchange and the Sign of the Equilateral Bispectrum hep-th · 2026-04-07 · unverdicted · none · ref 60

    The equilateral bispectrum from massive scalar exchange in inflation is not universally negative in the full EFT of inflation; its sign depends on a critical ratio of operator coefficients.