Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 4 a ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write and . The inflationary scalar Fourier mode has real late-time value and . Thus the time integrand, before the factor , isThe Bunch-Davies vacuum prescription supplies damping in the past. Equivalently, use a positive regulator and then take the limit:The real part of times this integral is . Including the six Wick contractions yields the cubic time-derivative curvature bispectrumThe resulting primordial bispectrum is a homogeneous function of degree in the wavenumbers, as expected for scale-independent background parameters.
The printed limit is not a physical sound-speed limit for these modes. The normalization and positive-frequency choice assume ; a negative value is outside the positive sound-speed convention used by these modes. The likely intended limit is , which is analyzed explicitly here rather than silently substituted for the PDF.
To compare primordial non-Gaussianity, normalize by the power spectrum, not only by the raw three-point amplitude. HereAt an equilateral bispectrum configuration, the exact normalized amplitude isThus gives an amplitude of order , consistent with weak non-Gaussianity in single-field slow-roll inflation. For , this vertex gives an amplitude of order one, enhanced relative to the slow-roll limit but not diverging as after power-spectrum normalization. At fixed the raw bispectrum does scale as , but has the same scaling. The often-quoted larger small-sound-speed amplitudes of more general inflationary actions require their actual interaction coefficients and other vertices; they do not follow from the lone supplied vertex. These conclusions concern its tree contribution within the stated weak-perturbation approximation.
The bispectrum shape function isAt fixed perimeter, the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality bounds this by , attained only at an equilateral bispectrum configuration. In a squeezed bispectrum configuration with , it behaves as . At a flattened bispectrum configuration it is finite, , with no boundary singularity. Thus the shape prefers equilateral triangles and suppresses squeezed triangles, with a broad finite flattened contribution. This is a shape preference, not a complete signal-to-noise calculation: actual observational weighting also depends on cosmological transfer functions, covariance and accessible triangles. If , this vertex produces no bispectrum at any configuration; if , the signed shape reverses while its absolute triangle preference is unchanged.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 15B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
When is approximately constant, , and exponential expansion gives the constant Hubble parameter . Take the spatial Fourier transformSinceeach independent inflationary scalar Fourier mode satisfies