Suppressing the primordial tensor amplitude without changing the scalar sector in quadratic curvature gravity

Abstract: We address the question of how one can modify the inflationary tensor spectrum without changing at all the successful predictions on the curvature perturbation. We show that this is indeed possible, and determine the two quadratic curvature corrections that are free from instabilities and affect only the tensor sector at the level of linear cosmological perturbations. Both of the two corrections can reduce the tensor amplitude, though one of them generates large non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbation. It turns out that the other one corresponds to so-called Lorentz-violating Weyl gravity. In this latter case one can obtain as small as 65% of the standard tensor amplitude. Utilizing this effect we demonstrate that even power-law inflation can be within the 2$\sigma$ contour of the Planck results.