Inflationary Cosmology (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789819827046)

Inflationary Cosmology is an advanced graduate-level textbook, covering in detail the physics of inflation in the early universe, with a special focus on the physics of the curvature perturbation - the primordial seed for the formation of structure in the universe - generated by quantum vacuum fluctuations during inflation. The book covers in detail perturbation theory in General Relativity and semiclassical quantization of perturbations in inflation, and observational constraints on inflation models, focusing on canonical single- field inflation. It also presents detailed treatments of extensions to the basic single-field paradigm such as non-canonical Lagrangians and non-attractor solutions, in particular ultra- slow roll inflation. Also covered are advanced topics including trans-Planckian effects, geodesic completeness, and initial conditions for inflation. The book is aimed at the level of an advanced graduate student with some background in General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.