Hamiltonian theory of classical and quantum gauge invariant perturbations in Bianchi I spacetimes

Abstract: We derive a Hamiltonian formulation of the theory of gauge invariant, linear perturbations in anisotropic Bianchi I spacetimes, and describe how to quantize this system. The matter content is assumed to be a minimally coupled scalar field with potential $V(\phi)$. We show that a Bianchi I spacetime generically induces both anisotropies and quantum entanglement on cosmological perturbations, and provide the tools to compute the details of these features. We then apply this formalism to a scenario in which the inflationary era is preceded by an anisotropic Bianchi I phase, and discuss the potential imprints in observable quantities. The formalism developed here paves the road to a simultaneous canonical quantization of both the homogeneous degrees of freedom and the perturbations, a task that we develop in a companion paper.