Primordial Gravitational Waves from the SV0 Quantum Bounce: A Natural Resolution to the BICEP/Keck Null Result

Abstract:The search for Primordial Gravitational Waves (PGWs) via CMB B-mode polarization is a key test of the early universe. However, the BICEP/Keck 2021 result, r < 0.036 at 95% CL, has placed severe pressure on large-field inflation models that predict r ≈ 0.01-0.1. In this paper (Paper LVIII of the SV0 series), we demonstrate that the SV0 quantum bounce provides a natural resolution to the BICEP/Keck null result. We solve the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation for tensor perturbations across the bounce, using the SV0 modified dispersion relation (Paper XXI). We find that the tensor-to-scalar ratio is suppressed to r ≈ 10⁻⁴, which is well below the BICEP/Keck bound. The suppression arises because the bounce dynamics (driven by the logistic exchange law) isotropize and dilute the tensor modes, in contrast to inflation, which amplifies them. This prediction is falsifiable: if r > 0.001 is detected by future experiments (LiteBIRD, CMB-S4), the SV0 bounce model will be ruled out. This places SV0 in a unique, testable position distinct from inflation.