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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.13053 |
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| _version_ | 1866915738346848256 |
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| author | Sanz, Veronica |
| author_facet | Sanz, Veronica |
| contents | Inflationary cosmology successfully accounts for the observed properties of primordial fluctuations using quantum field theory in an expanding background. However, the quantum nature of these fluctuations has not been experimentally established, since classical stochastic models could reproduce the observed two-point statistics by construction. Existing approaches to testing primordial quantumness focus primarily on Bell inequalities, which provide a sharp conceptual criterion but are difficult to implement with cosmological observables. In this work we adopt a falsification-based approach. We define a precise classical hypothesis for the origin of primordial perturbations (local stochastic fields admitting a positive probability distribution) and identify inequality constraints that must be satisfied within this class. We show how violations of these classicality inequalities can be probed using realistic cosmological observables, without invoking Bell tests or non-commuting measurement settings. We further identify symmetry-protected spectator sectors in which quantum coherence is parametrically preserved during inflation, allowing violations of observable magnitude to survive decoherence. Our results show that large-scale structure and future 21 cm surveys provide a viable and quantitative route to falsifying classical stochastic descriptions of primordial fluctuations. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_13053 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Was the Early Universe Quantum? Falsifying Classical Stochastic Inflation Sanz, Veronica Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory Inflationary cosmology successfully accounts for the observed properties of primordial fluctuations using quantum field theory in an expanding background. However, the quantum nature of these fluctuations has not been experimentally established, since classical stochastic models could reproduce the observed two-point statistics by construction. Existing approaches to testing primordial quantumness focus primarily on Bell inequalities, which provide a sharp conceptual criterion but are difficult to implement with cosmological observables. In this work we adopt a falsification-based approach. We define a precise classical hypothesis for the origin of primordial perturbations (local stochastic fields admitting a positive probability distribution) and identify inequality constraints that must be satisfied within this class. We show how violations of these classicality inequalities can be probed using realistic cosmological observables, without invoking Bell tests or non-commuting measurement settings. We further identify symmetry-protected spectator sectors in which quantum coherence is parametrically preserved during inflation, allowing violations of observable magnitude to survive decoherence. Our results show that large-scale structure and future 21 cm surveys provide a viable and quantitative route to falsifying classical stochastic descriptions of primordial fluctuations. |
| title | Was the Early Universe Quantum? Falsifying Classical Stochastic Inflation |
| topic | Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.13053 |