1997/05/19 by John D. Barrow, John D Barrow, Andrew R. Liddle +1 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #astro-ph #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1023/a:1018826228212
published as Gen.Rel.Grav. 29 (1997) 1503-1510 · 7 pages LaTeX file with two figures incorporated by epsf. Fifth Prize in Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition. To appear, General Relativity and Gravitation
arxiv created 1997/05/19 · arxiv updated 2015/06/25
Despite its central role in modern cosmology, doubts are often expressed as to whether cosmological inflation is really a falsifiable theory. We distinguish two facets of inflation, one as a theory of initial conditions for the hot big bang and the other as a model for the origin of structure in the Universe. We argue that the latter can readily be excluded by observations, and that there are also a number of ways in which the former can find itself in conflict with observational data. Both aspects of the theory are indeed falsifiable.