Abstract
Despite its central role in modern cosmology, doubts are often expressed as to whether cosmological inflation is really a falsifiable theory. We distinguish two facets of inflation, one as a theory of initial conditions for the hot big bang and the other as a model for the origin of structure in the Universe. We argue that the latter can readily be excluded by observations, and that there are also a number of ways in which the former can find itself in conflict with observational data. Both aspects of the theory are indeed falsifiable.
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Barrow, J.D., Liddle, A.R. Can Inflation be Falsified?. General Relativity and Gravitation 29, 1503–1510 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018826228212
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018826228212