Differential Equations for Cosmological Correlators

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Arkani-Hamed, Nima, Baumann, Daniel, Hillman, Aaron, Joyce, Austin, Lee, Hayden, Pimentel, Guilherme L.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2023
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author Arkani-Hamed, Nima
Baumann, Daniel
Hillman, Aaron
Joyce, Austin
Lee, Hayden
Pimentel, Guilherme L.
author_facet Arkani-Hamed, Nima
Baumann, Daniel
Hillman, Aaron
Joyce, Austin
Lee, Hayden
Pimentel, Guilherme L.
contents Cosmological fluctuations retain a memory of the physics that generated them in their spatial correlations. The strength of correlations varies smoothly as a function of external kinematics, which is encoded in differential equations satisfied by cosmological correlation functions. In this work, we provide a broader perspective on the origin and structure of these differential equations. As a concrete example, we study conformally coupled scalar fields in a power-law cosmology. The wavefunction coefficients in this model have integral representations, with the integrands being the product of the corresponding flat-space results and "twist factors" that depend on the cosmological evolution. These integrals are part of a finite-dimensional basis of master integrals, which satisfy a system of first-order differential equations. We develop a formalism to derive these differential equations for arbitrary tree graphs. The results can be represented in graphical form by associating the singularities of the differential equations with a set of graph tubings. Upon differentiation, these tubings grow in a local and predictive fashion. In fact, a few remarkably simple rules allow us to predict -- by hand -- the equations for all tree graphs. While the rules of this "kinematic flow" are defined purely in terms of data on the boundary of the spacetime, they reflect the physics of bulk time evolution. We also study the analogous structures in ${\rm tr}\,ϕ^3$ theory, and see some glimpses of hidden structure in the sum over planar graphs. This suggests that there is an autonomous combinatorial or geometric construction from which cosmological correlations, and the associated spacetime, emerge.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2312_05303
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Differential Equations for Cosmological Correlators
Arkani-Hamed, Nima
Baumann, Daniel
Hillman, Aaron
Joyce, Austin
Lee, Hayden
Pimentel, Guilherme L.
High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmological fluctuations retain a memory of the physics that generated them in their spatial correlations. The strength of correlations varies smoothly as a function of external kinematics, which is encoded in differential equations satisfied by cosmological correlation functions. In this work, we provide a broader perspective on the origin and structure of these differential equations. As a concrete example, we study conformally coupled scalar fields in a power-law cosmology. The wavefunction coefficients in this model have integral representations, with the integrands being the product of the corresponding flat-space results and "twist factors" that depend on the cosmological evolution. These integrals are part of a finite-dimensional basis of master integrals, which satisfy a system of first-order differential equations. We develop a formalism to derive these differential equations for arbitrary tree graphs. The results can be represented in graphical form by associating the singularities of the differential equations with a set of graph tubings. Upon differentiation, these tubings grow in a local and predictive fashion. In fact, a few remarkably simple rules allow us to predict -- by hand -- the equations for all tree graphs. While the rules of this "kinematic flow" are defined purely in terms of data on the boundary of the spacetime, they reflect the physics of bulk time evolution. We also study the analogous structures in ${\rm tr}\,ϕ^3$ theory, and see some glimpses of hidden structure in the sum over planar graphs. This suggests that there is an autonomous combinatorial or geometric construction from which cosmological correlations, and the associated spacetime, emerge.
title Differential Equations for Cosmological Correlators
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.05303