Role of Domain Walls in the Early Universe in the Context of Mode Matching

Fuente: arXiv
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Autore principale: Venkataratnam, K. K.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Venkataratnam, K. K.
author_facet Venkataratnam, K. K.
contents We study the role of domain walls and their relics in the very early Universe within the framework of the mode-matching technique. Domain walls formed during the spontaneous breaking of discrete symmetries are modelled as a short lived contribution to the background energy density, leading to a controlled deviation from standard slow-roll inflation. Solving the modified Friedmann equation, we obtain a smooth, time-dependent Hubble parameter that asymptotically approaches the standard inflationary value. We analyze the evolution of scalar perturbations using the gauge-invariant Mukhanov variable and perform mode matching across the transition between the domain wall affected phase and standard inflation. We find that only modes exiting the horizon near the transition experience a modified evolution, while modes far from the transition remain unaffected. As a result, the primordial scalar power spectrum exhibits localized, scale-dependent deviations from scale invariance, while preserving the overall success of inflation. These results demonstrate that unstable domain-wall relics can leave subtle imprints on primordial fluctuations, potentially providing a probe of early-Universe phase transitions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_01533
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Role of Domain Walls in the Early Universe in the Context of Mode Matching
Venkataratnam, K. K.
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
We study the role of domain walls and their relics in the very early Universe within the framework of the mode-matching technique. Domain walls formed during the spontaneous breaking of discrete symmetries are modelled as a short lived contribution to the background energy density, leading to a controlled deviation from standard slow-roll inflation. Solving the modified Friedmann equation, we obtain a smooth, time-dependent Hubble parameter that asymptotically approaches the standard inflationary value. We analyze the evolution of scalar perturbations using the gauge-invariant Mukhanov variable and perform mode matching across the transition between the domain wall affected phase and standard inflation. We find that only modes exiting the horizon near the transition experience a modified evolution, while modes far from the transition remain unaffected. As a result, the primordial scalar power spectrum exhibits localized, scale-dependent deviations from scale invariance, while preserving the overall success of inflation. These results demonstrate that unstable domain-wall relics can leave subtle imprints on primordial fluctuations, potentially providing a probe of early-Universe phase transitions.
title Role of Domain Walls in the Early Universe in the Context of Mode Matching
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01533