Cosmic inflation

electromagnetic radiation as a remnant from an early stage of the universe in Big Bang cosmology

theory of rapid universe expansion

random change in the energy inside a (typically sub-microscopic) volume

cosmological fine-tuning problem

hypothetical vacuum, less stable than true vacuum

The inflaton field is a hypothetical scalar field that is conjectured to have driven cosmic inflation in the very early universe.

cosmological solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity

purported correlation of the cosmic microwave background with the Earth’s ecliptic

problem in cosmology, solved by cosmic inflation

type of structure in quantum mechanics

cosmological model in which the inflationary phase lasts forever throughout most of the multiverse but we find ourselves in a small corner in which inflation has stopped

cosmic microwave background experiment

density variations in the early universe during cosmic inflation

American physicist

The curvaton is a hypothetical elementary particle which mediates a scalar field in early universe cosmology. It can generate fluctuations during inflation, but does not itself drive inflation, instead it generates curvature perturbations at late times after the inflaton field has decayed and the decay products have redshifted away, when the curvaton is the dominant component of the energy density. It is used to generate a flat spectrum of CMB perturbations in models of inflation where the potential is otherwise too steep or in alternatives to inflation like the pre-Big Bang scenario.