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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20253
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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.advisor | Burgess, Cliff | - |
dc.contributor.author | Enns, Jared | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-08-30T13:41:10Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2016-08-30T13:41:10Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2016 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/20253 | - |
dc.description.abstract | We explore the mechanics of inflation within simplified extra-dimensional models involving an inflaton interacting with a Einstein-Maxwell system in two extra dimensions. The models are complicated enough to include a stabilization mechanism for the extra-dimensional radius, but simple enough to solve the full six-dimensional field equations. After performing a consistent truncation, which guarantees our six-dimensional equations are equivalently satisfied by the four dimensional equations of motion, we explore (numerically and analytically) the power-law solutions evident in our initial parameter search. After a comprehensive search for potential power-law scaling solutions in both six and four dimensions, we find two that give rise to interesting inflationary dynamics. They both can generically exist outside of the usual four dimensional effective theory, and yet, we still trust them since our truncation is consistent. One of these is a dynamical attractor whose features are relatively insensitive to initial conditions, but whose slow-roll parameters cannot be arbitrarily small; the other is not an attractor but can roll much more slowly, until eventually transitioning to another solution due to its unstable nature. We present a numerical and analytic discussion of these two solutions. Four of the appendices contain calculations in more explicit detail than are performed in the main text, while a fifth contains a representative Mathematica worksheet and the sixth contains the general results of the systematic sweep for scaling solutions. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.subject | cosmology | en_US |
dc.subject | particle physics | en_US |
dc.subject | inflation | en_US |
dc.title | A Systematic Scaling Solution Search in Six-Dimensional Inflation | en_US |
dc.title.alternative | A Systematic Six-Dimensional Scaling Solution Search | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
dc.contributor.department | Physics and Astronomy | en_US |
dc.description.degreetype | Thesis | en_US |
dc.description.degree | Master of Science (MSc) | en_US |
dc.description.layabstract | When looking out at the night sky, we see a universe that is extremely flat and looks the same no matter what direction we stare. However, these present-day observations require the universe to have begun under very specific circumstances, which is not something that naturally occurs; think about what is necessary to hit a hole-in-one with a golf club: a very precise and specific shot is required. The theory of Cosmological Inflation—a period of rapid expansion in the early universe—is the current leading theory proposed to explain these observations. In our exploration, we aim to study inflation from a higher-dimensional perspective in which two extra spatial dimensions are added to our usual three. Ultimately, we find three classes of solutions, two of which exist outside of the regimes usually studied, that have the potential both to explain current observations, and also be useful tools in future explorations. | en_US |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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enns_jared_jh_1608_msc.pdf | thesis | 4.4 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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