Cosmological 3-point correlators from holography

TL;DR

This paper develops holographic methods to compute the non-Gaussian features of primordial cosmological perturbations, relating 3-point functions to stress-energy correlators in a dual quantum field theory, applicable to various inflationary models.

Contribution

It derives universal holographic formulae connecting cosmological 3-point correlators with stress-energy functions, including tensor perturbations, for general inflationary universes.

Findings

Holographic formulae relate cosmological 3-point functions to stress-energy correlators.

Tensor 3-point functions can be obtained from positive helicity gravitons with universal ratios.

Results apply to general single scalar inflationary universes and holographic RG flows.

Abstract

We investigate the non-Gaussianity of primordial cosmological perturbations using holographic methods. In particular, we derive holographic formulae that relate all cosmological 3-point correlation functions, including both scalar and tensor perturbations, to stress-energy correlation functions of a holographically dual three-dimensional quantum field theory. These results apply to general single scalar inflationary universes that at late times approach either de Sitter spacetime or accelerating power-law cosmologies. We further show that in Einstein gravity all 3-point functions involving tensors can be obtained from correlators containing only positive helicity gravitons, with the ratios of these to the correlators involving one negative helicity graviton being given by universal functions of momenta, irrespectively of the potential of the scalar field. As a by-product of this investigation, we obtain holographic formulae for the full 3-point function of the stress-energy tensor along general holographic RG flows. These results should have applications in a wider holographic context.