Early Universe Cosmology  

In General > s.a. astronomy; gravitational wave background; inflation; kaluza-klein; QCD phenomenology; string phenomenology.
* Goals: Explain the matter/antimatter asymmetry and the growth of inhomogeneities to become galaxies (by models for the formation of these inhomogeneities and proposals for dark matter).
* Features: The main paradigm that has emerged is that of inflationary universe (uses guts, symmetry breaking, etc).
* Classical modifications: They include oscillating universes and bounces.
@ I: Wilczek SA(80)dec [matter/antimatter]; Morris 93 [dark matter]; Hu & White SA(04)feb [acoustics]; Tegmark ap/05-in.
@ Reviews: Dolgov & Zel'dovich RMP(81); Lindley et al AJP(88); Salam IJMPA(89); Ellis in(95), NPPS(96)ap; Liddle ap/96-in; Wilczek hp/96-in; Lukash ap/99-in; Akerib et al hp/02-in; De Vega ap/03-ln; Ellis ap/03-in, ap/03-in, ap/03-in; Ratra & Vogeley a0706-AJP [rev].
@ Texts: Gibbons et al ed-83; Kolb et al ed-86, & Turner 87; Börner 88; Domínguez & Quirós 88; Padmanabhan 96 [problems]; Peacock 99.
@ Unconventional ideas: Brandenberger & Magueijo hp/99-ln; Volovik PRP(01)gq/00 [superfluid analogy].
@ Pre-big-bang cosmology: Gasperini ht/99-in [and duality]; Veneziano ht/99; Feinstein RMF(01)gq-ln [review].
@ Quantum to classical transition: Kiefer et al IJMPD(98)gq; Lombardo gq/98-PhD.
@ Related topics: Pessah et al PhyA(01)gq, Pessah & Torres PhyA(01)gq [and non-extensive statistical mechanics].
> Specific features: see observational cosmology; critical phenomena; dark matter; GUTS; monopoles; particle effects.

Quantum Gravity, the Transplanckian Issue and Pre-Big Bang > s.a. brane world; quantum cosmology; string phenomenology.
* Transplanckian challenge: The issue appears when we trace fluctuations with presently physical wavelengths backwards in time until they cross the Planck scale, the limit of validity of conventional quantum field theory; One concludes that unknown ultraviolet physics left an imprint in the observable cosmological fluctuations. This issue is usually addressed within the inflationary context, but it is much broader.
* Ekpyrotic cosmology: Based on brane world cosmology as pre-big bang scenario.
@ References: Ginsburg, Mukhanov & Frolov JETP(88) [and fundamental length]; Vaudrevange & Kofman a0706 [transplanckian issue in Milne universe]; > s.a. quantum gravity phenomenology.

Particle Production > s.a. astrophysics; graviton; relativistic cosmologies.
* Inflation: Based on a cosmological phase transition as pre-standard model scenario.
@ Thermodynamic view: Kremer & Devecchi PRD(02)gq [and inflation].
@ Related topics: Silk & Stodolsky PLB(06) [observable bursts]; > s.a. quantum field theory effects in curved spacetime.

Baryogenesis > s.a. CPT; phenomenology of higher-order gravity.
* Idea: As a process, baryogenesis refers to the production of baryons in the early universe; Often, however, the term refers to the fact that many more baryons (matter) are observed than antibaryons (antimatter).
* Matter-antimatter asymmetry: Sakharov's conditions are (i) Baryon number violation; (ii) C and CP violation; (iii) Departure from thermal equilibrium; Would have happened in the GUT or electroweak era.
* Origin: 2004, Unknown, but theoretical advances and experimental limits have ruled out some scenarios; For example, any explanation within the Standard Model (including the sphaleron baryogenesis at the electroweak phase transition) now seems to be ruled out as insufficient, but its supersymmetric extensions offer promise.
* Predictions: nbaryons / nphotons = 10–9+/–1, conserved (see above).
@ Reviews: Dolgov PRP(92) [after the GUT era]; Trodden RMP(99)hp/98, hp/98 [electroweak]; Burles et al PRL(99)ap [sharpening]; Quinn PT(03)feb [history]; Trodden hp/03-in, hp/04-ln; Schwarz AdP(03)ap [0 < t < 1 s]; Cline AS(04); Dine & Kusenko RMP(04)hp/03; Quirós JPA(07) [electroweak]; Buchmüller a0710 [and dark matter].
@ Leptogenesis: Buchmüller et al AP(05) [for pedestrians], ARNPS(05)hp; Cosme et al PRD(05) [and dark matter?]; > s.a. cp violation.
@ Other references: Buchmüller & Fredenhagen PLB(00) [Kadanoff-Baym equations]; Dolgov et al ap/00/PRD, Bugaev et al PAN(03)ap/01 [from primordial black holes]; Alexander et al PRL(06)ht/04 [from gravitational waves in inflation]; Carmona et al MPLA(06)ht/04 [without departure from thermal equilibrium]; Davoudiasl et al PRL(04) [gravitational CPT violation]; Kobakhidze hp/04 [anomaly-induced]; Panchapakesan ap/05 [cc and varying constants]; van der Post & Prokopec hp/06 [in Brans-Dicke]; Hamada et al MPLA(08)-a0708 [by quantum gravity]; > s.a. dark matter models.

Nucleosynthesis > s.a. astrophysics; nuclear physics; Nitrogen; lorentz violations; observational cosmology [chemistry].
* Idea: D, 3He, 4He and 7Li synthesized in the first 1000 s; 1998, There is rough agreement between observation and theory for 3 light 's and Nnucleons / Nphotons = 3 to 4 10–10, but some problems with 4He and D abundances.
@ Reviews and general: Alpher et al PR(48) [the paper that started it all]; Hogan SA(96)dec [deuterium]; Turner ap/96/NA; Schramm & Turner RMP(98); Esposito et al NPB(00)ap/99, ap/99-in; Olive ap/00-in, ap/02-in; Steigman ap/00-in; Dolgov hp/02-in; Steigman ap/02-ln, ap/03-in; Harwit & Spaans ApJ(03)ap; Molaro a0708-in; Nollett pw(07)aug; Steigman ARNPS(07)-a0712.
@ Primordial He: Peimbert et al ap/02-in; Salvaterra & Ferrara MNRAS(03)ap [vs population III stars]; > s.a. Helium.
@ Primordial Li: Jedamzik PRL(00) [6Li and exotic physics]; news pw(06)aug [fate of Li]; Pospelov hp/06, PRL(07), Bird et al ap/07 + pn(07)may [formation catalyzed by charged particles]; Cumberbatch et al a0708-PRD [and late-decaying particles].
@ Other theories: Massó & Rota PRD(03) [modified Friedmann equation]; Mueller et al PRD(04)ap [varying constants]; Dent et al PRD(07)-a0705 [as probe of fundamental physics]; > s.a. higher-order theories, quantum gravity phenomenology, scalar-tensor.
@ Related topics: Carroll & Kaplinghat PRD(02)ap/01 [and expansion]; Lara et al PRD(06) [inhomogeneous big bang].

Decoupling and the Dark Ages
* Decoupling: The period when the Universe was dark, stars had not yet formed, and the cosmic microwave background no longer traced the distribution of matter, in which the primordial soup evolved into the rich zoo of objects we now see.
@ References: Loeb SA(06)nov, ap/07 [dark ages]; Diver & Teodoro a0705 [electromagnetic consequence of decoupling].

Structure Formation > s.a. cosmological and gravitational perturbations; fluctuations; sound; quantum field theory effects in curved spacetime.
* Main mechanisms: Amplification of quantum fluctuations in the early universe, which somehow become inhomogeneous classical fluctuations, and topological defects.
@ Galaxies and structure: Peebles 80; Padmanabhan 93; Coles & Lucchin 95; Coles CP(96); Anninos LRR(01) [computational]; Barkana & Loeb PRP(01) [first stars and quasars]; Bernardeau et al PRP(02); Gill et al ap/02-in [dark matter, simulation]; Rodriguez ap/05-PhD; Springel et al Nat(06)ap [rev]; Gao & Theuns Sci(07)-a0709 + pw(07)sep + BBC(07)sep [warm dark matter and filaments]; Loeb a0804-in [rev].
@ Fluctuations: Sakellariadou IJTP(00) [initial quantum state]; Coles ap/02-ln [statistics]; Magueijo & Pogosian PRD(03)ap/02, Oaknin ht/03 [thermal vs quantum]; Shafieloo & Souradeep PRD(04)ap/03 [primordial spectrum and WMAP]; Magueijo a0803 [with large speed of sound].
@ From quantum to classical fluctuations: Pérez et al CQG(06)gq/05; De Unánue & Sudarsky a0801 [gravitational collapse of wave function].
@ Recombination to reionization: Loeb ap/99-in [reionization]; Miralda-Escudé Sci(03)ap [dark age rev]; Sunyaev & Chluba a0710-in; Wong et al a0711-MNRAS; > s.a. observation.
@ Amplification of fluctuations: Steinhardt CQG(93); Grishchuk gq/96.
@ In various theories / scenarios: Koyama JCAP(06)ap [modified Friedmann equation]; Brandenberger ht/07, ht/07-in [string gas cosmology]; Laszlo & Bean a0709 [modified gravity]; Miedema & van Leeuwen a0805 [Einstein gravity in FRW spacetime]; > s.a. dark energy; dark matter; inflation; modified newtonian dynamics; topological defects.


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