No Arabic abstract
We study the $R^p$ inflationary model of [Muller:1989rp] for $p>2$ using the result of Ref. [Motohashi:2014tra]. After reproducing the observable quantities: the power spectral index $n_s$, its corresponding running $alpha=frac{dn_s}{dln(k)}$ and the tensor to scalar ration $r$ in terms of e-folding number $N$ and $p$, we show that $R^p$ inflation model is still alive as $p$ is from $2$ to $2.02$. In this range, our calculation confirms that $n_s$ and $r$ agree with observations and $alpha$ is of order $10^{-4}$ which needs more precise observational constraints. We find that, as the value of $p$ increases, all $n_s$, $r$ and $|alpha|$ decrease. However, the precise interdependence between these observables is such that this class of models can in principle be tested by the next generation of dedicated satellite CMB probes.
The BICEP2 collaboration has recently released data showing that the scalar-to-tensor ratio $r$ is much larger than expected. The immediate consequence, in the context of $f(R)$ gravity, is that the Starobinsky model of inflation is ruled out since it predicts a value of $r$ much smaller than what is observed. Of course, the BICEP2 data need verification, especially from Planck with which there is some tension, therefore any conclusion seems premature. However, it is interesting to ask what would be the functional form of $f(R)$ in the case when the value of $r$ is different from the one predicted by the Starobinsky model. In this paper, we show how to determine the form of $f(R)$, once the slow-roll parameters are known with some accuracy. The striking result is that, for given values of the scalar spectral index $n_{S}$ and $r$, the effective Lagrangian has the form $f(R)=R^{zeta}$, where $zeta=2-varepsilon$ and $|varepsilon|ll 1$. Therefore, it appears that the inflationary phase of the Universe is best described by a $R^{2}$ theory, with a small deviation that, as we show, can be obtained by quantum corrections.
In this work we study the scalar power spectrum and the spectral index for the Starobinsky inflationary model using the phase integral method up-to third-order of approximation. We show that the semiclassical methods reproduce the scalar power spectrum for the Starobinsky model with a good accuracy, and the value of the spectral index compares favorably with observations. Also, we compare the results with the uniform approximation method and the second-order slow-roll approximation.
In this work we study numerically one kind of generalization of the Starobinsky inflationary model (power-law type), which is characterized by the parameter $p$. In order to find the parameter $p$ that fixes with observations, we compute the cosmological parameters $A_S$, $n_S$, and $r$ for several values of $psimeq 1$. We have found that the value of $p=1.0004$ reproduces the value of $A_S$, $n_sca$, and $r$ in agreement with current observational data.
Universe history in $R^2$-gravity is studied from beginning up to the present epoch. It is assumed that initially the curvature scalar $R$ was sufficiently large to induce the proper duration of inflation. Gravitational particle production by the oscillating $R(t)$ led to a graceful exit from inflation, but the cosmological evolution in the early universe was drastically different from the standard one till the universe age reached the value of the order of the inverse decay rate of the oscillating curvature $R(t)$. This deviation from the standard cosmology might have a noticeable impact on the formation of primordial black holes and baryogenesis. At later time, after exponential decay of the curvature oscillations, cosmology may return to normality.
In the context of f(R)=R + alpha R^2 gravity, we study the existence of neutron and quark stars with no intermediate approximations in the generalised system of Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equations. Analysis shows that for positive alphas the scalar curvature does not drop to zero at the star surface (as in General Relativity) but exponentially decreases with distance. Also the stellar mass bounded by star surface decreases when the value alpha increases. Nonetheless distant observers would observe a gravitational mass due to appearance of a so-called gravitational sphere around the star. The non-zero curvature contribution to the gravitational mass eventually is shown to compensate the stellar mass decrease for growing alphas. We perform our analysis for several equations of state including purely hadronic configurations as well as hyperons and quark stars. In all cases, we assess that the relation between the parameter $alpha$ and the gravitational mass weakly depend upon the chosen equation of state. Another interesting feature is the increase of the star radius in comparison to General Relativity for stars with masses close to maximal, whereas for intermediate masses around 1.4-1.6 solar masses, the radius of star depends upon alpha very weakly. Also the decrease in the mass bounded by star surface may cause the surface redshift to decrease in R^2-gravity when compared to Einsteinian predictions. This effect is shown to hardly depend upon the observed gravitational mass. Finally, for negative values of alpha our analysis shows that outside the star the scalar curvature has damped oscillations but the contribution of the gravitational sphere into the gravitational mass increases indefinitely with radial distance putting into question the very existence of such relativistic stars.