2010/01/31 by Zong-Kuan Guo, Zong‐Kuan Guo, Dominik J. Schwarz
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Gauss–Bonnet theorem #Geometry #Inflation (cosmology) #Inflaton #Mathematical analysis #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Monomial #Physics #Pure mathematics #Quantum mechanics #Quartic function #Scalar (mathematics) #Slow roll #Spectral index #Spectral line #Tensor (intrinsic definition) #Theoretical physics #astro-ph.CO #gr-qc #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.81.123520
published as Phys.Rev.D81:123520,2010 · 7 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX, references added, published version
arxiv created 2010/06/09 · openalex publication_date 2010/06/17 · arxiv updated 2014/11/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We consider slow-roll inflation for a single scalar field with an arbitrary potential and an arbitrary nonminimal coupling to the Gauss-Bonnet term. By introducing a combined hierarchy of Hubble and Gauss-Bonnet flow functions, we analytically derive the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations. The standard consistency relation between the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the spectral index of tensor perturbations is broken. We apply this formalism to a specific model with a monomial potential and an inverse monomial Gauss-Bonnet coupling and constrain it by the 7-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data. The Gauss-Bonnet term with a positive (or negative) coupling may lead to a reduction (or enhancement) of the tensor-to-scalar ratio and hence may revive the quartic potential ruled out by recent cosmological data.