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A perturbation of the inflaton shifts its local clock: $\delta \varphi \simeq \dot{\varphi }\delta t$. Regions with different clock shifts reach the end of inflation at different times and hence undergo different amounts of expansion. The inflaton clock-shift origin of curvature perturbations gives a local expansion difference of magnitude $H\delta t=H\delta \varphi /\dot{\varphi }$. The sign depends on whether $\delta t$ denotes a clock advance or a delay to a fixed end value.

The comoving curvature perturbation has amplitude $\mathcal{R}\simeq H\delta \varphi /\dot{\varphi }$. For adiabatic evolution, superhorizon conservation of single-field comoving curvature carries this amplitude into the later growing density contrast, with the numerical conversion depending on the epoch and the density slice. Thus the approximate density-amplitude statement in the question follows; it does not identify the density contrast and $\mathcal{R}$ in every gauge.

The frozen scalar power per $d\log k$ is $(H/2\pi {)}^2$, so the slow-roll curvature power spectrum isConsequently $⟨{\mathcal{R}}^2⟩=\int (dk/k){\Delta }_{\mathcal{R}}^2(k)$, giving the requested approximate growing-density spectrum. Both $H$ and $\dot{\varphi }$ are evaluated separately when each Fourier mode undergoes cosmological horizon exit.

The inflaton has quantum fluctuations while their wavelengths are shorter than the Hubble radius. Choosing the Bunch-Davies vacuum fixes the short-wavelength positive-frequency modes. During near-de Sitter slow-roll inflation, expansion carries each mode through $k=aH$, leaving a field fluctuation of amplitude approximately $H/(2\pi )$ on spatially flat slices.

The inflaton clock-shift origin of curvature perturbations converts this field displacement into a local time shift of magnitude $|\delta \Phi /\dot{\Phi }|$, and hence into a comoving curvature perturbation of magnitude $H|\delta \Phi /\dot{\Phi }|$. For the single-field adiabatic growing mode on an attractor, the superhorizon conservation of single-field comoving curvature makes this perturbation approximately constant at $k\ll aH$. These vacuum-generated perturbations seed the later density fluctuations.

A light inflaton behaves approximately as a scalar field in de Sitter space while a wavelength is well inside the Hubble radius. Its Bunch-Davies vacuum has quantum fluctuations. Cosmic inflation stretches each Fourier mode until $k=aH$, after which its physical wavelength exceeds the Hubble radius. The nearly constant growing field mode has a typical fluctuation per logarithmic wavenumber interval $\delta \varphi \sim H/(2\pi )$.

A field fluctuation changes the local position on the rolling background trajectory. Neighboring regions therefore reach the same field value, and the end of inflation, at slightly different times. A clock displacement of magnitude $|\delta \varphi /\dot{\varphi }|$ becomes a difference in local expansion of order $H|\delta \varphi /\dot{\varphi }|$. Equivalently, in a conventional sign choice the comoving curvature perturbation is related to the field fluctuation on spatially flat slices byChanging the sign convention for spatial curvature changes the sign of $\mathcal{R}$, but not its spectrum. This is the inflaton clock-shift origin of curvature perturbations. For a single-field slow-roll attractor there is no independent entropy mode. On a super-Hubble scale, gradient terms are negligible and the superhorizon conservation of single-field comoving curvature preserves the growing adiabatic mode, so fluctuations generated near exit persist as primordial curvature perturbations. This conservation requires the attractor and adiabatic assumptions; a freely chosen non-attractor background would not have the same conclusion.