Cited by 274Cosmology and Gravitation TheoriesNoncommutative and Quantum Gravity TheoriesGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 88 of the 88 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 40 of the 49 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Non-Gaussianities in two-field inflation

Open access
Vernizzi, Filippo, Wands, David·2006·Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

Abstract

We study the bispectrum of the curvature perturbation on uniform energy density hypersurfaces in models of inflation with two scalar fields evolving simultaneously. In the case of a separable potential, it is possible to compute the curvature perturbation up to second order in the perturbations, generated on large scales due to the presence of non-adiabatic perturbations, by employing the δ N -formalism, in the slow-roll approximation. In this case, we provide an analytic formula for the nonlinear parameter f NL . We apply this formula to double inflation with two massive fields, showing that it does not generate significant non-Gaussianity; the nonlinear parameter at the end of inflation is slow-roll suppressed. Finally, we develop a numerical method for generic two-field models of inflation, which allows us to go beyond the slow-roll approximation and confirms our analytic results for double inflation.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper computes the bispectrum and nonlinear parameter \(f_{\rm NL}\) for two-field inflation using the \(\delta N\)-formalism up to second order, providing an analytic formula for separable potentials in slow roll. It finds that double quadratic inflation does not generate significant non-Gaussianity, with \(f_{\rm NL}\) slow-roll suppressed and numerically confirmed.

Key findings

  • For two-field inflation with a separable potential, the authors derive an analytic expression for the nonlinear parameter \(f_{\rm NL}\), Eq. (68), in terms of the potential and slow-roll parameters.
  • In double quadratic inflation with two massive fields, they conclude that non-Gaussianity is slow-roll suppressed: \(|f_{\rm NL}|\ll 1\).
  • For the specific numerical example with mass ratio \(R=1/9\) and initial condition \(\phi=\chi=13\,m_P\), at the end of inflation they find \(-(6/5)f^{(4)}_{\rm NL}=0.008\), \(-(6/5)f^{(3)}_{\rm NL}=0.008\), and \(-(6/5)f_{\rm NL}=0.016\simeq 1/60\).
  • Their numerical calculation agrees remarkably well with the analytic results and confirms that nonlinear evolution on super-Hubble scales during double quadratic inflation does not produce detectable non-Gaussianity; they disagree with Rigopoulos et al. and agree with Alabidi and Lyth.

Methods

  • Uses the \(\delta N\)-formalism to compute the curvature perturbation \(\zeta\) on uniform density hypersurfaces up to second order in perturbations, assuming slow roll at Hubble exit.
  • Specializes to two scalar fields with canonical kinetic terms and a separable potential \(W=U(\phi)+V(\chi)\), deriving analytic expressions for the power spectrum, spectral index, and \(f_{\rm NL}\).
  • Develops a numerical method that solves the full background field and Friedmann equations and computes first and second derivatives of \(N\) by finite differences, allowing slow roll to be relaxed after Hubble exit; applies it to double quadratic inflation.

Limitations

  • The analytic formula assumes slow-roll conditions for all fields from Hubble exit until the end of inflation; the numerical method still assumes slow roll at Hubble exit.
  • The analytic treatment is restricted to two fields with a separable potential, though the numerical method is stated to be extendable to any two-field model.
  • The authors state they are unable to explain the discrepancy with Rigopoulos et al., who found large non-Gaussianity in the same double quadratic model.
  • They leave to future work the investigation of models where the quantity \(A\), and thus \(f_{\rm NL}\), can be large.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1088/1475-7516/2006/05/019

Cites

88 of 88 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

18 Own interpretation · 17 No basis given · 11 Own result · 10 Partly supported · 7 Couldn’t confirm · 4 Own method · 3 Supported · 3 Sources not found · 2 Supported so far · 2 No full text of the sources · 1 Not supported · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 1 references — free account

Show all 45 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 22
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 9
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 3
33 of 33
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The model consists of minimally coupled scalar fields with canonical kinetic terms and potential W.

    “For simplicity, we will consider a model of inflation driven by a set of minimally coupled scalar fields with canonical kinetic terms and potential W , described by the action”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Scalar field perturbations are uncorrelated stochastic variables at early times, with a scale-invariant spectrum of massless scalar fields in de-Sitter space.

    “Let us now take the scalar field perturbations δϕ I as uncorrelated stochastic variables at early times, with scale invariant spectrum of massless scalar fields in de-Sitter space.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Correlation functions higher than the four-point are neglected.

    “where a star denotes the convolution and we have neglected correlation functions higher than the four-point (see [35, 34]).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    All k_i are of the same order of magnitude so that they cross the Hubble radius approximately at the same time.

    “where k t = k 1 + k 2 + k 3 , and it is assumed that all the k i are of the same order of magnitude so that they cross the Hubble radius approximately at the same time.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The connected part of the four-point correlation functions is negligible.

    “To evaluate the second line of Eq. (20), as in [35] we assume that the connected part of the four-point correlation functions is negligible and we make use of Wick's theorem to reduce the four-point functions to products of two-point functions.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The potential of the fields is separable into the sum of two potentials each dependent on only one of the two fields.

    “We assume that the potential of the fields is separable into the sum of two potentials each of which is dependent on only one of the two fields,”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The slow-roll conditions are satisfied for both fields during inflation.

    “Here it is assumed that the slow-roll conditions are satisfied for both fields during inflation.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    U' ≥ 0 and V' ≥ 0.

    “Note that throughout this paper, for simplicity, we will assume U ′ ≥ 0 and V ′ ≥ 0 so that we may eliminate first derivatives of the potential in favor of the slow-roll parameters √ ǫ φ and √ ǫ χ .”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The potential is separable into the sum of two potentials, each of which is dependent on only one of the two fields.

    “We have then specialized to the two-field case, and assumed that the potential is separable into the sum of two potentials, each of which is dependent on only one of the two fields.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Slow-roll conditions are satisfied by all fields from Hubble exit until the end of inflation, and slow-roll is assumed all along the inflationary evolution from t_* to t_c.

    “Furthermore, in deriving Eqs. (58), (61), (64), (68) and the background evolution relation (79), we have assumed slow-roll all along the inflationary evolution, from t ∗ to t c .”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The δN-formalism assumes that the fields are in slow-roll at Hubble exit.

    “The δN -formalism assumes that the fields are in slow-roll at Hubble exit, Eq. (8) (see [48] for a development of the δN -formalism applicable to more general situations).”
11 of 11

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Starobinsky A A, 1985, Pis. Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz., 42, 124
  2. Starobinsky A A, 1985, JETP Lett., 42, 152
  3. Lee H C, 2005, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 2005, 004
  4. Press W H, 1992, Numerical Recipes in FORTRAN: The Art of Scientific Computing
  5. 10.1103/physrevd.63.0630xx · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

See all 274

Metadata

Authors
Vernizzi, F., & Wands, D.
Affiliations
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • University of Portsmouth (GB)
Venue
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Published
2006-05-26
Volume
2006
Issue
05
Pages
019-019
ISSN
  • 1475-7508 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-7516
OpenAlex
W2079415417
Cited by
274
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 30
FWCI
13.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Keywords
two-field inflation, non-Gaussianity, bispectrum, curvature perturbations, non-adiabatic perturbations, delta N formalism, slow-roll approximation, double inflation, massive fields, separable potentials, primordial perturbations

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-23, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-23 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review