Primordial Tensor Signatures and Gravitational Wave Constraints in Lorentz Violating Inflation with Non-Canonical Kinetics
Abstract
We investigate primordial tensor perturbations in a Lorentz violating inflationary framework with non-canonical scalar field dynamics. Using an Einstein-Æther type with a higher order kinetic term K3X2, we derive the tensor propagation speed and its dependence on an effective Lorentz violating coupling. We consider an analytically tractable potential free background and study two representative couplings, qk=λTϕk2 and qk=λTϕk4. The resulting tensor spectral index nT and its running αT satisfy distinct consistency relations, providing potential signatures of Lorentz violation in the primordial gravitational wave spectrum. We derive corresponding constraints from the tensor tilt and running and compare them with the stringent late-time bound on the gravitational wave speed from GW170817/GRB170817A. We emphasize that translating this bound into primordial constraint requires an assumption about the evolution of tensor sector coupling between inflation and the late Universe. Our results demonstrate that primordial tensor observables can provide a complementary probe of Lorentz violation and its interplay with non-canonical inflationary dynamics.
Related
- Primordial black holes and gravitational waves from aligned axion inflation
- PrimordialPy: A Python library for single-field inflation, primordial black holes, and scalar-induced gravitational waves
- Lukewarm inflation, primordial black holes and gravitational waves
- Primordial black holes and induced gravitational waves from localized features in DBI inflation
- Primordial Black Holes and Induced Gravitational Waves from Inflation with History-Dependent Effective Dissipation
BibTeX
@misc{kalita2026primordial,
title = {{Primordial Tensor Signatures and Gravitational Wave Constraints in Lorentz Violating Inflation with Non-Canonical Kinetics}},
author = {Dibash Plaban Kalita and Shreya Banerjee},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.39087},
eprint = {2609.39087},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.39087},
note = {CC0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Primordial Tensor Signatures and Gravitational Wave Constraints in Lorentz Violating Inflation with Non-Canonical Kinetics
AU - Dibash Plaban Kalita
AU - Shreya Banerjee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.39087
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.39087
AB - We investigate primordial tensor perturbations in a Lorentz violating inflationary framework with non-canonical scalar field dynamics. Using an Einstein-Æther type with a higher order kinetic term K_3X^2, we derive the tensor propagation speed and its dependence on an effective Lorentz violating coupling. We consider an analytically tractable potential free background and study two representative couplings, q_k=λ_Tϕ_k^2 and q_k=λ_Tϕ_k^4. The resulting tensor spectral index n_T and its running α_T satisfy distinct consistency relations, providing potential signatures of Lorentz violation in the primordial gravitational wave spectrum. We derive corresponding constraints from the tensor tilt and running and compare them with the stringent late-time bound on the gravitational wave speed from GW170817/GRB170817A. We emphasize that translating this bound into primordial constraint requires an assumption about the evolution of tensor sector coupling between inflation and the late Universe. Our results demonstrate that primordial tensor observables can provide a complementary probe of Lorentz violation and its interplay with non-canonical inflationary dynamics.
ER -