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Probing the Inflaton Potential with SKA

by Tanmoy Modak, Tilman Plehn, Lennart Röver, Björn Malte Schäfer

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Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Tanmoy Modak · Tilman Plehn · Lennart Röver
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202201_00008v1  (pdf)
Date submitted: 2022-01-12 14:02
Submitted by: Röver, Lennart
Submitted to: SciPost Physics
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Gravitation, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
  • High-Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Approach: Phenomenological

Abstract

SKA will be a major step forward not only in astrophysics, but also in precision cosmology. We show how the neutral hydrogen intensity map can be combined with the Planck measurements of the CMB power spectrum, to provide a precision test of the inflaton potential. For a conservative range of redshifts we find that SKA can significantly improve current constraints on the Hubble slow-roll parameters.

Current status:
Has been resubmitted

Reports on this Submission

Anonymous Report 1 on 2022-2-16 (Invited Report)

  • Cite as: Anonymous, Report on arXiv:scipost_202201_00008v1, delivered 2022-02-16, doi: 10.21468/SciPost.Report.4439

Strengths

The author forecasted errors of general parameters appeared in inflation models, using future observations by SKA.

Weaknesses

The way of their presentation would be highly unclear.

Report

By adopting specifications of SKA, the authors forecasted possible future constraints on parameters in inflaton's potential. The author's attempt is very meaningful. However, I still have some questions as follows.

1) The authors used the existing constraints on the parameters obtained from Planck as a prior. However, we know there are some uncertainties even on choices for the values of the constraints. If the authors adopted the most milder bounds on them, how do the results change?

2) About uncertainties coming from the H0 tension, how did the authors resolve the problem in their choices for actual values of the free parameters?

3) Even for the ionization fraction of electron, chi, there should exists the corresponding spatial fluctuation. How did the author treat the chi's fluctuation in their analysis?

4) It seems that the authors assumed the constant slowroll parameters (or constant spectral index, the running, and the running-of-running, ...) as a function of the wave number (k). I think this is not realized in a concrete inflation model for relevant ranges of k observed by the SKA. I encourage the authors to discuss the validity for their methods in the text.

Requested changes

I encourage the authors to answer my questions written in my report.

  • validity: ok
  • significance: ok
  • originality: ok
  • clarity: low
  • formatting: good
  • grammar: reasonable

Author:  Lennart Röver  on 2022-05-03  [id 2439]

(in reply to Report 1 on 2022-02-16)

The reply to the referee is attached as a pdf file.

We have also resubmitted v2 of the paper through the resubmission option.

Attachment:

referee_reply.pdf

Anonymous on 2022-05-04  [id 2441]

(in reply to Lennart Röver on 2022-05-03 [id 2439])

The authors answered all of my questions. I recommend this paper to be published in SciPost Physics.

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