Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 310 4 d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a canonical scalar field with positive kinetic energy, the Friedmann equation givesso the first Hubble slow-roll parameter satisfies . The tensor tilt is consequentlyA blue primordial spectrum of tensor modes cannot arise in standard canonical single-field slow-roll inflation; it requires changing assumptions, such as the matter content, kinetic structure, initial state, or gravitational dynamics.
The scalar tilt instead obeysIt can be positive in a standard single-field model if , meaning that decreases sufficiently rapidly with the number of e-folds. Equivalently, in potential slow-roll parameters the first-order condition is . Thus a blue scalar spectrum is allowed by the framework, although it is not produced by every slowly rolling potential.