Inflation dynamics and reheating
Abstract
The theory of inflation with single and multiple fields is reviewed paying particular attention to the dynamics of adiabatic and entropy/isocurvature perturbations which provide the primary means of testing inflationary models. The theory and phenomenology of reheating and preheating after inflation is reviewed providing a unified discussion of both the gravitational and nongravitational features of multifield inflation. In addition inflation in theories with extra dimensions and models such as the curvaton scenario and modulated reheating which provide alternative ways of generating large-scale density perturbations are covered. Finally interesting observational implications are discussed that can result from adiabatic-isocurvature correlations and non-Gaussianity.
- Publication:
-
Reviews of Modern Physics
- Pub Date:
- April 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1103/RevModPhys.78.537
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0507632
- Bibcode:
- 2006RvMP...78..537B
- Keywords:
-
- 98.80.Cq;
- Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early Universe;
- Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 51 pages, latex, 16 figures, version to appear in Reviews of Modern Physics