Scale-Dependent Loop Corrections to the Inflationary Power Spectrum
Abstract
Loop corrections to primordial correlation functions are unavoidable due to the non-linear nature of gravity. Previous works have established a robust framework for computing the renormalised one-loop power spectra of scalar and tensor modes, but primarily in (near) de Sitter backgrounds. In this work, we develop a consistent renormalisation procedure applicable to inflationary backgrounds that strongly break de Sitter symmetries and generate scale-dependent features in the primordial spectra. Our analysis is performed within the Effective Field Theory (EFT) of inflationary fluctuations, allowing for arbitrary time dependence of the Wilson coefficients. We show that both ultraviolet divergences and tadpoles of the theory, despite their strong time and scale dependence, can be cancelled by a finite set of local counter-terms compatible with the EFT symmetries. Importantly, this result only relies on the existence of an initial phase of adiabatic evolution continuously related to the Bunch-Davies vacuum and holds independently of the precise time dependence of the background and of the free-field mode functions. We then study two concrete realisations, corresponding to resonant and sharp features. In both cases, all calculations are carried out exactly in the limit of small feature amplitude. We analyse perturbativity and provide the first explicit demonstration that the renormalised one-loop power spectrum generated by a localised feature along the inflationary trajectory vanishes both at large and small scales. Our scale-dependent renormalisation framework implies that models of primordial features used to fit CMB residuals are consistent with perturbativity bounds, and opens the door to systematic studies of loop corrections in more complicated scenarios relevant for scalar-induced gravitational waves and primordial black holes.
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BibTeX
@article{braglia2026scaledependent,
title = {{Scale-Dependent Loop Corrections to the Inflationary Power Spectrum}},
author = {Matteo Braglia and Sebastián Céspedes and Lucas Pinol},
journal = {JHEP},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/jhep07(2026)250},
eprint = {2603.12216},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05565263v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Scale-Dependent Loop Corrections to the Inflationary Power Spectrum
AU - Matteo Braglia
AU - Sebastián Céspedes
AU - Lucas Pinol
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - JHEP
DO - 10.1007/jhep07(2026)250
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05565263v1
AB - Loop corrections to primordial correlation functions are unavoidable due to the non-linear nature of gravity. Previous works have established a robust framework for computing the renormalised one-loop power spectra of scalar and tensor modes, but primarily in (near) de Sitter backgrounds. In this work, we develop a consistent renormalisation procedure applicable to inflationary backgrounds that strongly break de Sitter symmetries and generate scale-dependent features in the primordial spectra. Our analysis is performed within the Effective Field Theory (EFT) of inflationary fluctuations, allowing for arbitrary time dependence of the Wilson coefficients. We show that both ultraviolet divergences and tadpoles of the theory, despite their strong time and scale dependence, can be cancelled by a finite set of local counter-terms compatible with the EFT symmetries. Importantly, this result only relies on the existence of an initial phase of adiabatic evolution continuously related to the Bunch-Davies vacuum and holds independently of the precise time dependence of the background and of the free-field mode functions. We then study two concrete realisations, corresponding to resonant and sharp features. In both cases, all calculations are carried out exactly in the limit of small feature amplitude. We analyse perturbativity and provide the first explicit demonstration that the renormalised one-loop power spectrum generated by a localised feature along the inflationary trajectory vanishes both at large and small scales. Our scale-dependent renormalisation framework implies that models of primordial features used to fit CMB residuals are consistent with perturbativity bounds, and opens the door to systematic studies of loop corrections in more complicated scenarios relevant for scalar-induced gravitational waves and primordial black holes.
ER -