Classical and quantum evolution of inflationary fluctuations

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ballesteros, Guillermo, Egea, Jesús Gambín, Rodríguez, Alejandro Pérez
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Ballesteros, Guillermo
Egea, Jesús Gambín
Rodríguez, Alejandro Pérez
author_facet Ballesteros, Guillermo
Egea, Jesús Gambín
Rodríguez, Alejandro Pérez
contents We compare the correlation functions of inflationary perturbations computed either with quantum or classical dynamics. Even if they are enforced to agree at a specific time during inflation, classical and quantum correlations will differ at the end of inflation, provided that interactions are relevant. The difference between the results of the classical and quantum computations is exponentially sensitive to the number of e-folds elapsed from the time of agreement. We illustrate this finding with the tree-level bispectrum of the primordial curvature fluctuation and the one-loop power spectrum of tensor modes. We also show that classical evolution from a finite time does not imply the appearance of poles in the scalar bispectrum.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_18416
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Classical and quantum evolution of inflationary fluctuations
Ballesteros, Guillermo
Egea, Jesús Gambín
Rodríguez, Alejandro Pérez
High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
We compare the correlation functions of inflationary perturbations computed either with quantum or classical dynamics. Even if they are enforced to agree at a specific time during inflation, classical and quantum correlations will differ at the end of inflation, provided that interactions are relevant. The difference between the results of the classical and quantum computations is exponentially sensitive to the number of e-folds elapsed from the time of agreement. We illustrate this finding with the tree-level bispectrum of the primordial curvature fluctuation and the one-loop power spectrum of tensor modes. We also show that classical evolution from a finite time does not imply the appearance of poles in the scalar bispectrum.
title Classical and quantum evolution of inflationary fluctuations
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.18416