Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Palma, Gonzalo A., Sypsas, Spyros
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.17644
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911432403058688
author Palma, Gonzalo A.
Sypsas, Spyros
author_facet Palma, Gonzalo A.
Sypsas, Spyros
contents A long-standing problem in primordial cosmology is to understand the precise relation between the stochastic formalism and standard perturbation theory for light scalar fields in inflationary spacetimes. A complete correspondence between the two frameworks has remained elusive, even for a single self-interacting spectator field on a fixed de Sitter background. In this Letter, we revisit the assumptions underlying the derivation of the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations that form the basis of the stochastic approach. We show that the standard stochastic treatment is effectively equivalent to neglecting super-long-wavelength modes beyond the observable range described by these equations. Using perturbation theory, we quantify how these modes enter through virtual loop effects and demonstrate that, once treated consistently, they induce definite corrections to both the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_17644
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Revisiting stochastic inflation with perturbation theory
Palma, Gonzalo A.
Sypsas, Spyros
High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
A long-standing problem in primordial cosmology is to understand the precise relation between the stochastic formalism and standard perturbation theory for light scalar fields in inflationary spacetimes. A complete correspondence between the two frameworks has remained elusive, even for a single self-interacting spectator field on a fixed de Sitter background. In this Letter, we revisit the assumptions underlying the derivation of the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations that form the basis of the stochastic approach. We show that the standard stochastic treatment is effectively equivalent to neglecting super-long-wavelength modes beyond the observable range described by these equations. Using perturbation theory, we quantify how these modes enter through virtual loop effects and demonstrate that, once treated consistently, they induce definite corrections to both the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations.
title Revisiting stochastic inflation with perturbation theory
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.17644