Bayesian Analysis of Inflation II: Model Selection and Constraints on Reheating

摘要: We discuss the model selection problem for inflationary cosmology. couple ModeCode, a publicly available numerical solver primordial perturbation spectra, to nested sampler MultiNest, in order efficiently compute Bayesian evidence. pay particular attention specification of physically realistic priors, including parametrization post-inflationary expansion and associated thermalization scale. It is confirmed that, while present-day data tightly constrain properties power spectrum, they cannot usefully distinguish between members large class simple models. also evidence using simulated Planck likelihood, showing that will have more than WMAP discriminate models, it not definitively address on its own. However, place very tight constraints any with one observationally distinct regime---e.g. large- small-field limits hilltop inflation model---and put useful different reheating scenarios given model.