Generating the primordial curvature perturbations in preheating

Abstract

We show that the primordial curvature perturbations may originate not from the quantum fluctuations of inflaton during inflation but from isocurvature perturbations which are amplified during preheating after inflation. We consider a simple preheating model, whose potential is given by $V(\phi, \chi)={1/4}\lambda \phi^4+{1/2}g^2 \phi^2 \chi^2$ with $g^2/\lambda=2$, as a possible realization of generating curvature perturbations during preheating. We make use of the $\delta N$ formalism which requires only knowledge of the homogeneous background solutions in order to evaluate the evolution of curvature perturbations on super-horizon scales. We solve the background equations numerically and find that the amplitude and the spectral index of curvature perturbations originating from preheating can be tuned to the observed values if the isocurvature perturbations at the end of inflation is not suppressed on super-horizon scales. We also point out that the tensor to scalar ratio in ${1/4}\lambda \phi^4$ inflation model can be significantly lowered, hence letting the ${1/4}\lambda \phi^4$ model, which is ruled out by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data combined with SDSS data, get back into the observationally allowed region.