Abstract
We derive a general expression for the power spectra of scalar and tensor fluctuations generated during inflation given an arbitrary choice of boundary condition for the mode function at a short distance. We assume that the boundary condition is specified at a short-distance cutoff at a scale M which is independent of time. Using a particular prescription for the boundary condition at momentum we find that the modulation to the power spectra of density and gravitational wave fluctuations is of order where H is the Hubble parameter during inflation, and we argue that this behavior is generic, although by no means inevitable. With a fixed boundary condition, we find that the shape of the modulation to the power spectra is determined entirely by the deviation of the background spacetime from the de Sitter limit.
- Received 2 May 2002
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.66.023518
©2002 American Physical Society