Some alpha-attractor inflation models could generate observable gravitational waves, offering an empirical test for the inflationary era.

Numerical relativity suggests convex inflaton potentials may more readily trigger inflation than concave ones, challenging conventional views and hinting at detectable gravitational waves from certain models.

Notable researchers cited include Eugene Lim, Katy Clough, Paul Steinhardt, Hiranya Peiris, and David Garfinkle.

Discussions acknowledge ongoing debates and uncertainties, with caution against overinterpreting simulations while recognizing numerical relativity as a powerful tool for testing cosmological theories.

Beyond inflation, the work explores bouncing (cyclic) universes where a prior contracting phase could smooth and re-expand into our universe, raising questions about singularities and cosmic censorship.

Physicists like Lim and Clough use approximate solutions to Einstein’s equations with supercomputer simulations to study early-universe conditions and test inflationary scenarios.

Advances in numerical relativity are enabling probes of conditions before and around the hot big bang, potentially shedding light on inflation and pre-big-bang ideas.

The field is speeding up with more powerful computations and broader applications, aiming for a more unified view of fundamental physics and possible links to string theory via certain inflationary potentials.

Research into bubble collisions of hypothetical baby universes during inflation explores potential imprints in the cosmic microwave background, though evidence remains inconclusive and model-dependent.