Gravitons and Temperature Fluctuation Correlations from Inflation

TL;DR

This paper models inflationary tensor perturbations as gravitons from quantum particle creation, calculating their impact on CMB temperature fluctuation correlations, revealing significant anti-correlations in angular and redshift separations.

Contribution

It introduces a model for graviton-induced tensor perturbations affecting CMB correlations with an infrared cutoff and finite last scattering shell.

Findings

Significant anti-correlation in CMB temperature fluctuations

Anti-correlation minima are about 20% in angle and 50% in redshift

Correlation functions depend on separation in angle and redshift

Abstract

Inflationary tensor perturbations are treated as arising from a bath of gravitons produced by quantum particle creation at the end of inflation. We calculate the correlation function of the CMB temperature fluctuations produced by these gravitons in a model with an infrared cut off. The CMB photons are emitted from within a last scattering shell of finite thickness in redshift. We find the correlation function in terms of the separation of a pair of spacetime points of emission in both angle and redshift. In both variables, there is a significant amount of anti-correlation. The anti-correlation minimum has a relative magnitude compared to the central correlation maximum of about 20% in angle and 50% in redshift.