Cosmological Correlators, In-In Formalism and Double Copy

TL;DR

This paper explores whether the double copy structure connecting gauge theories and gravity extends to cosmological correlators during inflation, using the In-In formalism to analyze primordial gravitational waves and scalar fluctuations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that cosmological correlators can be factorized into parts related to scattering amplitudes, revealing a double copy structure for gravitational waves and scalar curvature.

Findings

Gravitational waves are shown to be double copies of gluons.

Scalar curvature fluctuations are double copies of scalar fields with Higgs-like interactions.

The double copy structure applies within the In-In formalism for inflationary cosmology.

Abstract

We are investigating if the double copy structure as product of scattering amplitudes of gauge theories applies to cosmological correlators computed in a class of theories for inflation by the operatorial version of the In-In formalism of Schwinger-Keldysh. We consider tree level momentum-space correlators involving primordial gravitational waves with different polarizations and the scalar curvature fluctuations on a three dimensional fixed spatial slice. The correlators are sum of terms factorized in a time dependent scalar factor, which takes into account the curved background where energy is not conserved, and in a so-called tensor factor, constructed by polarization tensors. In the latter we recognize scattering amplitudes in four dimensional Minkowski space spanned by three points gravitational amplitudes related by double copy to those of gauge theories. Our study indicates that gravitational waves are double copy of gluons and the primordial scalar curvature is double copy of a scalar with Higgs-like interactions.