Primordial non-Gaussianity from light compact scalars

A bstract We study the non-Gaussianities generated by light axions, or compact scalar fields, during inflation. To correctly calculate their impact on primordial statistics, we argue that it is necessary to account for the periodicity, or gauge symmetry, of the compact scalars. We illustrate this point by comparing the predictions for the squeezed kinematic limit of the primordial bispectrum generated by two cases — a non-compact scalar σ and a compact scalar φ . We demonstrate that while a light non-compact scalar predicts a bispectrum of the so-called local shape, the light compact scalar predicts a qualitatively different shape characterised by the ratio of the Hubble scale to its field-space circumference. In doing so, we show that ignoring the gauge symmetry of the compact scalar during inflation leads to spurious infrared enhancements, which are softened by working with appropriate gauge-invariant operators. In addition, we connect our results for the primordial bispectrum with late-time cosmological observables and show that it is possible to measure the decay constant of the compact scalar using galaxy clustering measurements.