We consider a recent approach to the construction of gauge-invariant relational observables in gravity in the context of cosmological perturbation theory. These observables are constructed using a field-dependent coordinate system, which we take to be geodesic lightcone coordinates. We show that the observables are gauge-independent in the fully nonlinear theory, and that they have the expected form when one adopts the geodesic lightcone gauge for the metric. We give explicit expressions for the Sasaki-Mukhanov variable at linear order, and the Hubble rate — as measured both by geodesic observers and by observers co-moving with the inflaton — to second order. Moreover, we show that the well-known linearised equations of motion for the Sasaki-Mukhanov variable and the scalar constraint variables follow from the gauge-invariant Einstein’s equations

One of the exciting aspects of cosmology is to understand the period of `cosmic inflation' that powered the epoch of the Big Bang. Inflation has been very successful in explaining several puzzles of the standard big bang scenario. But the most important success of inflation is that it can explain the temperature fluctuations of cosmic microwave background and the large scale structures of the universe. Despite its great success, the details of the physics of inflation are still unknown. A large number of models of inflation successfully explain all the observations making it remarkably hard to distinguish between different models. We explore the possibility of differentiating between different inflationary models by studying two-point and three-point functions of primordial fluctuations produced during inflation. First, we explore possible constraints on the inflationary equation state by considering current measurements of the power spectrum. Next, we explore the possibility of a single field slow-roll inflationary model with general initial state for primordial fluctuations. The two-point and three-point functions of primordial fluctuations are generally computed assuming that the fluctuations are initially in the Bunch-Davies state. However, we show that the constraints on the initial state from observed power spectrum and local bispectrum are relatively weak and for slow-roll inflation a large number of initial states are consistent with the current observations. As the precision of the observations is increasing significantly, we may learn more about the initial state of the fluctuations in the near future. Finally, we explore the consistency relations for the three-point functions, in the squeezed limit, of scalar and tensor perturbations in single-field inflation that in principle can be used to differentiate between single-field and multi-field inflation models. However, for slow-roll inflation, we find that it is possible to violate some of the consistency relations for initial states that are related to the Bunch-Davies state by Bogoliubov transformations and we identify the reason for the violation. Then we discuss the observational implications of this violation. / text

This thesis studies the quantum reflection factor of the sinh-Gordon model under boundary conditions consistent with integrability. First, we review the affine Toda field theory in Chapter One. In particular, the classical and quantum integrability of the theory are reviewed on the whole line and on the half-line as well, that is, in the presence of a boundary. We next consider the sinh-Gordon model which is restricted to a half-line by boundary conditions maintaining integrability in Chapter Two. A perturbative calculation of the reflection factor is given to one loop order in the bulk coupling and to first order in the difference of the two parameters introduced at the boundary. The result provides a further verification of Ghoshal's formula. The calculation is consistent with a conjecture for the general dependence of the reflection factor on the boundary parameters and the bulk coupling. In Chapter Three, quantum corrections to the classical reflection factor of the sinh-Gordon model are studied up to second order in the difference of boundary data and to one loop order in the bulk coupling. Chapter Four deals with the quantum reflection factor for the sinh-Gordon model with general boundary conditions. The model is studied under boundary conditions which are compatible with integrability and in the framework of the conventional perturbation theory generalised to the affine Toda field theory. It is found that the general form of a subset of the related quantum corrections are hypergeometric functions. Finally, we sum up this thesis in Chapter Five along with some conclusions and suggestions for further future studies.

One of the most pressing, modern cosmological mysteries is the cause of the accelerated expansion of the universe. The energy density required to cause this large scale opposition to gravity is known to be both far in excess of the known matter content, and remarkably smooth and unclustered across the universe. While the most commonly accepted answer is that a cosmological constant is responsible, alternatives abound. This thesis is primarily concerned with such alternatives; both their theoretical nature and observational consequences. In this thesis, we will dedicate Chapter 1 to a brief review on the fundamentals of general relativity, leading into the basics of theoretical cosmology. Following this we will recall some of the key observations that has lead to the standard CDM cosmology. The standard model has well known problems, many of which can be answered by the theoretical ideas of inflation. In Chapter 2 we explore these ideas, including a summary of classical field theory in the context of cosmology, upon which inflation is based. This also serves as the groundwork for Chapter 3, where the varied models of dark energy (and their motivations) are discussed - many of which are also reliant on field theory (such as quintessence). These notions are combined in a model described in Chapter 4, where we describe our own addition to a scenario that unifies dark energy and inflation. This addition - involving a coupling of the inflation field to an additional one - alter the way reheating takes place after inflation, removing some of the shortcomings of the original proposal. The analysis is extended in Chapter 5, to include the effect of quantum corrections. There we show that although a cursory analysis indicates a coupling between quintessence and some other field does not necessarily give rise to dangerously large quantum corrections, provided the effects of decoupling are taken into account. We move on in Chapter 6 to examine the basics of cosmological perturbation theory, and derive the general equations of motion for density and velocity perturbations for a system of fluids, allowing for the exchange of energy-momentum. We make use of this in Chapters 7 and 8, were we examine the growth of structure in a universe where energy is exchanged between dark matter and dark energy. In particular, in Chapter 7 we see that a particular form of the interaction can lead to an instability in the early universe, and we derive the condition for this to be the case. In Chapter 8, we discuss how a similar interaction can lead to a mimicry of modified gravity, and relate this directly to cosmological observations. Finally we summarise our conclusions and discuss avenues of future research in Chapter 9.

Renormalization Group (RG) method is a general method whose aim is to globally approximate solutions to differential equations involving a small parameter. In this thesis, we will give an algorithm for the RG method to generate the RG equation needed in the process of finding an approximate solution for ODEs. In chapter 1, we have some introduction to perturbation theory and introducing some traditional methods in perturbation theory. In chapter 2 we compare the results of RG and other conventional methods using numerical or explicit methods. Thereafter, in chapter 3, we rigorously compare the approximate solution obtained using the RG method and the true solution using two classes of system of ordinary differential equations. In chapter 4, we present a simplified RG method and apply it to the second order RG. In chapter 5 we briefly explain the first order Normal Form (NF) theory and then its relation to the RG method. Also a similar geometric interpretation for the RG equation and NF's outcome has been provided. In the Appendix, we have added definitions and proofs used in this thesis. The RG method is much more straightforward than other traditional methods and does not require prior information about the solutions. One begins with a naive perturbative expansion which already contains all the necessary information that we need to construct a solution. Using RG, there is no need to asymptotically match the solutions in the overlapping regions, which is a key point in some other methods. In addition, the RG method is applicable to most of perturbed differential equations and will produce a closed form solution which is, most of the times, as accurate as or even more accurate than the solutions obtained by other conventional methods.

The thesis is devoted to the investigation of the initial-value problem for linearized Euler equations utilizing an idealized one-reaction detonation model in the case of three-dimensional perturbations in a circular pipe.The problem is solved using the Laplace transform in time, Fourier series in the azimuthal angle, and expansion into Bessel's functions of the radial variable.For each radial and azimuthal mode, the inverse Laplace transform can be presented as an expansion of the solution into the normal modes of discrete and continuous spectra. The dispersion relation for the discrete spectrum requires solving the homogeneous ordinary differential equations for the adjoint system and evaluation of an integral through the reaction zone.The solution of the initial-value problem gives a convenient tool for analysis of the flow receptivity to various types of perturbations in the reaction zone and in the quiescent gas.

In this Master thesis, we use a singular and regular perturbation theory to derive an analytic approximation formula for the expected discounted penalty function. Our model is an extension of Cramer–Lundberg extended classical model because we consider a more general insurance risk model in which the compound Poisson risk process is perturbed by a Brownian motion multiplied by a stochastic volatility driven by two factors- which have mean reversion models. Moreover, unlike the classical model, our model allows a ruin to be caused either by claims or by surplus’ fluctuation. We compute explicitly the first terms of the asymptotic expansion and we show that they satisfy either an integro-differential equation or a Poisson equation. In addition, we derive the existence and uniqueness conditions of the risk model with two stochastic volatilities factors.

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We perform a rigorous mathematical analysis of the bending modes of a linear triatomic molecule that exhibits the Renner-Teller effect. Assuming the potentials are smooth, we prove that the wave functions and energy levels have asymptotic expansions in powers of ε, where ε4 is the ratio of an electron mass to the mass of a nucleus. To prove the validity of the expansion, we must prove various properties of the leading order equations and their solutions. The leading order eigenvalue problem is analyzed in terms of a parameter bË , which is equivalent to the parameter originally used by Renner. For 0 &lt bË &lt 1, we prove self-adjointness of the leading order Hamiltonian, that it has purely discrete spectrum, and that its eigenfunctions and their derivatives decay exponentially. Perturbation theory and finite difference calculations suggest that the ground bending vibrational state is involved in a level crossing near bË = 0.925. We also discuss the degeneracy of the eigenvalues. Because of the crossing, the ground state is degenerate for 0 &lt bË &lt 0.925 and non-degenerate for 0.925 &lt bË &lt 1. / Ph. D.

No description available.