We analyze the spectrum of density perturbations generated in models of the recently discovered “D-cceleration” mechanism of inflation. In this scenario, strong coupling quantum field theoretic effects sum to provide a Dirac-Born-Infeld–like action for the inflaton. We show that the model has a strict lower bound on the non-Gaussianity of the cosmic microwave background radiation power spectrum at an observable level, and is thus falsifiable. This, in particular, observationally distinguishes this mechanism from traditional slow-roll inflation generated by weakly interacting scalar fields. The model also favors a large observable tensor component to the cosmic microwave background radiation spectrum.

• Received 21 July 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.70.123505