Initial conditions problem in cosmological inflation revisited

TL;DR

This paper uses a new numerical relativity approach to investigate whether inflation can resolve the universe's initial homogeneity and isotropy problems, finding that it does not from generic initial conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel tetrad-based numerical relativity code and gauge/frame invariant diagnostics to analyze the initial conditions problem in cosmological inflation.

Findings

Inflation does not solve the homogeneity and isotropy problem from generic initial conditions.

The new numerical code enables detailed analysis of early universe dynamics.

Results challenge the assumption that inflation naturally explains initial uniformity.

Abstract

We present first results from a novel numerical relativity code based on a tetrad formulation of the Einstein-scalar field equations combined with recently introduced gauge/frame invariant diagnostics indicating that inflation does not solve the homogeneity and isotropy problem beginning from generic initial conditions following a big bang.