We show that the universal $α$-attractor models of inflation can be realized by including an auxiliary vector field $A_μ$ for the Starobinsky model with the Lagrangian $f(R)=R+R^2/(6M^2)$. If the same procedure is applied to general modified $f(R)$ theories in which the Ricci scalar $R$ is replaced by $R+A_μ A^μ+β\nabla_μA^μ$ with constant $β$, we obtain the Brans-Dicke theory with a scalar potential and the Brans-Dicke parameter $ω_{\rm BD}=β^2/4$. We also place observational constraints on inflationary models based on auxiliary vector modified $f(R)$ theories from the latest Planck measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies in both temperature and polarization. In the modified Starobinsky model, we find that the parameter $β$ is constrained to be $β<25$ (68\,\%\,confidence level) from the bounds of the scalar spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio.
In this work, we examine cosmological constraints on models of composite inflation based on the slow-roll approximation by using the recent Planck measurement. We compare the spectral index of curvature perturbation (and its running) and the tensor-to-scalar ratio predicted by such models with Planck 2015 data. We find that the predictions of technicolor inflation are nicely consistent with the Planck analysis. Moreover, the predictions from the second model, glueball inflation, are in good agreement with the Planck data at $2σ$C.L. However, the final two models, super glueball inflation and o…
We reconstruct scalar field theories to realize inflation compatible with the BICEP2 result as well as the Planck. In particular, we examine the chaotic inflation model, natural (or axion) inflation model, and an inflationary model with a hyperbolic inflaton potential. We perform an explicit approach to find out a scalar field model of inflation in which any observations can be explained in principle.
We review the constraints that the recently released Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Planck data put on inflation and we argue that single field slow-roll inflationary scenarios (with minimal kinetic term) are favored. Then, within this class of models, by means of Bayesian inference, we show how one can rank the scenarios according to their performances, leading to the identification of ``the best models of inflation''.
We study non-minimal Coleman-Weinberg inflation in the Palatini formulation of gravity in the presence of an $R^2$ term. The Planck scale is dynamically generated by the vacuum expectation value of the inflaton via its non-minimal coupling to the curvature scalar $R$. We show that the addition of the $R^2$ term in Palatini gravity makes non-minimal Coleman-Weinberg inflation again compatible with observational data.
We discuss the general structure and observational consequences of some of the simplest versions of chaotic inflation in supergravity in relation to the data by Planck 2013 and BICEP2. We show that minimal modifications to the simplest quadratic potential are sufficient to provide a controllable tensor mode signal and a suppression of CMB power at large angular scales.
The observational status of inflation after the Planck 2013 and 2015 results and the BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck joint analysis is discussed. These pedagogical lecture notes are intended to serve as a technical guide filling the gap between the theoretical articles on inflation and the experimental works on astrophysical and cosmological data. After a short discussion of the central tenets at the basis of inflation (negative self-gravitating pressure) and its experimental verifications, it reviews how the most recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy measurements constrain cosmic i…
Inflation is considered as the best theory of the early universe by a very large fraction of cosmologists. However, the validity of a scientific model is not decided by counting the number of its supporters and, therefore, this dominance cannot be taken as a proof of its correctness. Throughout its history, many criticisms have been put forward against inflation. The final publication of the Planck Cosmic Microwave Background data represents a benchmark time to study their relevance and to decide whether inflation really deserves its supremacy. In this paper, we categorize the criticisms again…
We categorically point out why the analysis of arXiv:1404.1821 [hep-ph] is incorrect. Here we explicitly show why the sub-Planckian field excursion of the inflaton field can yield large observable tensor-to-scalar ratio, which satisfies both Planck and BICEP constraints.
In this paper I introduce a precise constraint on primordial magnetogenesis, for a generic class of single-field inflationary model followed by small field excursion below the Planck scale. I also establish a connection between the magnetic field at the present epoch and primordial gravity waves ($r$) via non-vanishing CP asymmetry parameter ($ε_{\bf CP}$), which triggers the leptogenesis scenario. Finally, I explore various hidden cosmophenomenological features of theoretical CMB B-mode polarization spectra, which can be treated as a significant probe to put further stringent constraint on lo…
I give a general review of inflationary cosmology and of its present status, in view of the 2013 data release by the Planck satellite. A specific emphasis is given to the new broad class of theories, the cosmological attractors, which have nearly model-independent predictions converging at the sweet spot of the Planck data in the (n_s,r) plane. I also discuss the problem of initial conditions for the theories favored by the Planck data.
I describe the first model of chaotic inflation in supergravity, which was proposed by Goncharov and the present author in 1983. The inflaton potential of this model has a plateau-type behavior $V_{0} (1- {8\over 3}\, e^{-\sqrt 6 |ϕ|})$ at large values of the inflaton field. This model predicts $n_{s} = 1-{2\over N} \approx 0.967$ and $r = {4\over 3 N^{2}} \approx 4 \times 10^{-4}$, in good agreement with the Planck data. I propose a slight generalization of this model, which allows to describe not only inflation but also dark energy and supersymmetry breaking.
We place observational likelihood constraints on braneworld and non-commutative inflation for a number of inflaton potentials, using Planck, WMAP polarization and BAO data. Both braneworld and non-commutative scenarios of the kind considered here are limited by the most recent data even more severely than standard general-relativity models. At more than 95 % confidence level, the monomial potential $V(ϕ) \propto ϕ^p$ is ruled out for $p \geq 2$ in the Randall--Sundrum (RS) braneworld cosmology and, for $p>0$, also in the high-curvature limit of the Gauss--Bonnet (GB) braneworld and in the infr…
We propose a chaotic inflation model in supergravity based on polynomial interactions of the inflaton. Specifically we study the chaotic inflation model with quadratic, cubic and quartic couplings in the scalar potential and show that the predicted scalar spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio can lie within the 1 sigma region allowed by the Planck results.
We discuss cosmological inflation in the minimal Wess-Zumino model with a single massive chiral supermultiplet. With suitable parameters and assuming a plausible initial condition at the start of the inflationary epoch, the model can yield scalar perturbations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) of the correct strength with a spectral index n_s ~ 0.96 and a tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r < 0.1, consistent with the Planck CMB data. We also discuss the possibility of topological inflation within the Wess-Zumino model, and the possibility of combining it with a seesaw model for neutri…
We assess which Kahler potentials in supergravity lead to viable single-field inflationary models that are consistent with Planck. We highlight the role of symmetries, such as shift, Heisenberg and supersymmetry, in these constructions. Also the connections to string theory are pointed out. Finally, we discuss a supergravity model for arbitrary inflationary potentials that is suitable for open string inflation and generalize it to the case of closed string inflation. Our model includes the recently discussed supergravity reformulation of the Starobinsky model of inflation as well as an interes…
In this work we consider a DBI Galileon (DBIG) inflationary model and constrain its parameter space with the Planck 2015 and BICEP2/Keck array and Planck (BKP) joint analysis data by means of a potential independent analysis. We focus our attention on inflationary solutions characterized by a constant or varying sound speed as well as warp factor. We impose bounds on stringy aspects of the model, such as the warp factor $\left(f\right)$ and the induced gravity parameter $\left(\tilde{m}\right)$. We study the parameter space of the model and find that the tensor-to-scalar ratio can be as low as…
Rubano and Barrow have discussed the emergence of a dark energy, with late-time cosmic acceleration arising from a self-interacting homogeneous scalar field with a potential of hyperbolic power type. Here, we study the evolution of this scalar field potential back in the inflationary era. Using the hyperbolic power potential in the framework of inflation, we find that the main slow-roll parameters, like the scalar spectral index, the running of the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar fluctuation ratio can be computed analytically. Finally, in order to test the viability of this hyperbolic …
We consider the modifications of monomial chaotic inflation models due to radiative corrections induced by inflaton couplings to bosons and/or fermions necessary for reheating. To the lowest order, ignoring gravitational corrections and treating the inflaton as a classical background field, they are of the Coleman-Weinberg type and parametrized by the renormalization scale $μ$. In cosmology, there are not enough measurements to fix $μ$ so that we end up with a family of models, each having a slightly different slope of the potential. We demonstrate by explicit calculation that within the famil…
In this paper we show that the Germani-Kehagias model of Higgs inflation (or New Higgs Inflation), where the Higgs boson is kinetically non-minimally coupled to the Einstein tensor is in perfect compatibility with the latest Planck and BICEP2 data. Moreover, we show that the tension between the Planck and BICEP2 data can be relieved within the New Higgs inflation scenario by a negative running of the spectral index. Regarding the unitarity of the model, we argue that it is unitary throughout the evolution of the Universe. Weak couplings in the Higgs-Higgs and Higgs-graviton sectors are provide…
The recently proposed trans-Planckian censorship conjecture (TCC) seems to require that the energy scale of inflation is significantly lower than the Planck scale $(H_\text{inf}<10^{-20} \Mpl)$. This, in turn, implies that the tensor-to-scalar ratio for inflation is negligibly small, \textit{independent} of assumptions of slow-roll or even of having a single scalar field, thus ruling out inflation if primordial tensor modes are ever observed. After demonstrating the robustness and generality of these bounds, we show that having an excited initial state for cosmological perturbations seems to b…
Because the inflationary mechanism is extremely sensitive to UV-physics, the construction of theoretically robust models of inflation provides a unique window on Planck-scale physics. We review efforts to use an axion with a shift symmetry to ensure a prolonged slow-roll background evolution. The symmetry dictates which operators are allowed, and these in turn determine the observational predictions of this class of models, which include observable gravitational waves (potentially chiral), oscillations in all primordial correlators, specific deviations from scale invariance and Gaussianity and…
Hilltop inflation models are often described by potentials $V = V_{0}(1-{ϕ^{n}\over m^{n}}+...)$. The omitted terms indicated by ellipsis do not affect inflation for $m \lesssim 1$, but the most popular models with $n =2$ and $4$ for $m \lesssim 1$ are ruled out observationally. Meanwhile in the large $m$ limit the results of the calculations of the tensor to scalar ratio $r$ in the models with $V = V_{0}(1-{ϕ^{n}\over m^{n}})$, for all $n$, converge to $r= 4/N \lesssim 0.07$, as in chaotic inflation with $V \sim ϕ$, suggesting a reasonably good fit to the Planck data. We show, however, that t…
We investigate the implications for inflation of the detection of B-modes polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) by BICEP2. We show that the hypothesis of primordial origin of the measurement is only favored by the first four bandpowers, while the others would prefer unreasonably large values of the tensor-to-scalar ratio. Using only those four bandpowers, we carry out a complete analysis in the cosmological and inflationary slow-roll parameter space using the BICEP2 polarization measurements alone and extract the Bayesian evidences and complexities for all the Encyclopaedia Inf…
Within the framework of RG improved inflationary cosmology motivated by asymptotically safe gravity, we study the dynamics of a scalar field which can be interpreted as the Higgs field. The background trajectories of this model can provide sufficient inflationary e-folds and a graceful exit to a radiation dominated phase. We study the possibility of generating primordial curvature perturbations through the Standard Model Higgs boson. This can be achieved under finely tuned parameter choices by making use of the modulated reheating mechanism. The primordial non-gaussianity is expected to be siz…
In the context of the Palatini formalism of gravity with an $R^{2}$ term, a $ϕ^{2}$ potential can be consistent with the observed bound on $r$ whilst retaining the successful prediction for $n_{s}$. Here we show that the Palatini $ϕ^{2} R^2$ inflation model can also solve the super-Planckian inflaton problem of $ϕ^{2}$ chaotic inflation, and that the model can be consistent with Planck scale-suppressed potential corrections. If $α\gtrsim 10^{12}$, where $α$ is the coefficient of the $R^2$ term, the inflaton in the Einstein frame, $σ$, remains sub-Planckian throughout inflation. In addition, if…
The dynamics of both the preinflationary and the preheating epochs for a model consisting of a Higgs inflaton plus an additional auxiliary field are studied in full General Relativity. The minimally coupled auxiliary field allows for parametric-type resonances that successfully transfer energy from the inflaton condensate to particle excitations in both fields. Depending on the interaction strengths of the fields, the broad resonance periods lead to structure formation consisting of large under/over-densities, and possibly the formation of compact objects. Moreover, when confronting the same m…
An inflationary model in the framework of noncommutative space-time may generate a nontrivial running of the scalar spectral index, but usually induces a large tensor-to-scalar ratio simultaneously. With the latest observational data from the Planck mission, we reexamine the inflationary scenarios in a noncommutative space-time. We find that either the running of the spectral index is tiny compared with the recent observational result, or the tensor-to-scalar ratio is too large to allow a sufficient number of $e$-folds. As examples, we show that the chaotic and power-law inflation models with …
Motivated by the idea that quantum gravity corrections usually suppress the power of the scalar primordial spectrum (E-mode) more than the power of the tensor primordial spectrum (B-mode), in this paper we construct a concrete gravitational theory in five-dimensions for which $V(ϕ)\propto ϕ^n$-type inflation ($n\ge 1$) generates an appropriate tensor-to-scalar ratio that may be compatible with the BICEP2 and Planck data together. The true nature of gravity is five-dimensional and described by the action $S = \int d^5{x} \sqrt{|g|} M^3 (- 6λM^2 + R + αM^{-2} {\cal R}^2)$ where $M$ is the five-d…
We place observational constraints on slow-variation single-field inflationary models by carrying out the cosmological Monte Carlo simulation with the recent data of Planck combined with the WMAP large-angle polarization, baryon acoustic oscillations, and ACT/SPT temperature data. Our analysis covers a wide variety of models with second-order equations of motion-- including potential-driven slow-roll inflation, non-minimally coupled models, running kinetic couplings, Brans-Dicke theories, potential-driven Galileon inflation, field-derivative couplings to the Einstein tensor, and k-inflation. I…
The inflationary cosmology paradigm is very successful in explaining the CMB anisotropy to the percent level. Besides the dependence on the inflationary model, the power spectra, spectral tilt and non-Gaussianity of the CMB temperature fluctuations also depend on the initial state of inflation. Here, we examine to what extent these observables are affected by our ignorance in the initial condition for inflationary perturbations, due to unknown new physics at a high scale $M$. For initial states that satisfy constraints from backreaction, we find that the amplitude of the power spectra could st…
When the different wavelengths of the scalar and tensor modes of the geometry are all assigned on the same space-like hypersurface the maximally amplified frequencies of the spectrum remain smaller than the Planck mass only if the duration of a stage of accelerated expansion and the corresponding tensor to scalar ratio are severely constrained. All the different wavelengths can be initialized on the same space-like hypersurface at the onset of inflation but this strategy and the related conclusions are plausible only for classical inhomogeneities. We argue that a whole class of potential const…
We study cosmological inflation and its dynamics in the framework of the Randall-Sundrum II brane model. In particular, we analyze in detail four representative small-field inflationary potentials, namely Natural inflation, Hilltop inflation, Higgs-like inflation, and Exponential SUSY inflation, each characterized by two mass scales. We constrain the parameters for which a viable inflationary Universe emerges using the latest PLANCK results. Furthermore, we investigate whether or not those models in brane cosmology are consistent with the recently proposed Swampland Criteria, and give predicti…
Ultraviolet completion of the standard model plus gravity at and beyond the Planck scale is a daunting problem to which no generally accepted solution exists. Principal obstacles include (a) lack of data at the Planck scale (b) nonrenormalizability of gravity and (c) unitarity problem. Here we make a simple observation that, if one treats all Planck scale operators of equal canonical dimension democratically, one can tame some of the undesirable features of these models. With a reasonable amount of fine tuning one can satisfy slow roll conditions required in viable inflationary models. That re…
We study the effect of sudden transitions in the effective Planck mass during inflation on primordial power spectra. Specifically, we consider models in which this variation results from the non-minimal coupling of a Brans-Dicke type scalar field. We find that the scalar power spectra develop features at the scales corresponding to those leaving the horizon during the transition. In addition, we observe that the tensor perturbations are largely unaffected, so long as the variation of the Planck mass is below the percent level. Otherwise, the tensor power spectra exhibit damped oscillations ove…
The minimal sub-Planckian axion inflation model accounts for a large scalar-to-tensor ratio via a spiralling trajectory in the field space of a complex field $Φ$. Here we consider how the predictions of the model are modified by Planck scale-suppressed corrections. In the absence of Planck corrections the model is equivalent to a $ϕ^{4/3}$ chaotic inflation model. Planck corrections become important when the dimensionless coupling $ξ$ of $|Φ|^{2}$ to the topological charge density of the strongly-coupled gauge sector $F \tilde{F}$ satisfies $ξ\sim 1$. For values of $|Φ|$ which allow the Planck…
The supergravity (SUGRA) theories with exact global $U(1)$ symmetry or shift symmetry in Kähler potential provide the natural frameworks for inflation. However, the quadratic inflation is disfavoured by the new results on primordial tensor fluctuations from the Planck Collaboration. To be consistent with the new Planck data, we point out that the explicit symmetry breaking is needed, and study these two SUGRA inflation in details. For the SUGRA inflation with global $U(1)$ symmetry, the symmetry breaking term leads to a trigonometric modulation on inflaton potential. The coefficient of the $U(…
We use data from the nominal Planck mission to constrain modulations in the primordial power spectrum associated with monodromy inflation. The largest improvement in fit relative to the unmodulated model has Δχ^2~10 and we find no evidence for a primordial signal, in contrast to a previous analysis of the WMAP9 dataset, for which Δχ^2~20. The Planck and WMAP9 results are broadly consistent on angular scales where they are expected to agree as far as best-fit values are concerned. However, even on these scales the significance of the signal is reduced in Planck relative to WMAP, and is consiste…
The recent CMB data from Planck and BICEP2 observations have opened a new window for inflationary cosmology. In this Essay we compare three Starobinsky-like inflationary scenarios: (i) the original Starobinsky proposal; (ii) a family of dynamically broken SUGRA models; and (iii) a class of "decaying" vacuum $Λ(H)$ cosmologies. We then focus on the $Λ(H)$ variant, which spans the complete cosmic history of the universe from an early inflationary stage, followed by the "graceful exit" into the standard radiation regime, the matter epoch and, finally, the late-time accelerated expansion. Computin…
We consider a phenomenological model of inflation where the inflaton is the phase of a complex scalar field $Φ$. Planck-suppressed operators of $\mathcal O(f^5/M_\mathrm{pl})$ modify the geometry of the vev $\langle Φ\rangle$ at first order in the decay constant $f$, which adds a first order periodic term to the definition of the canonically normalized inflaton $ϕ$. This correction to the inflaton induces a fixed number of extra oscillatory terms in the potential $V \sim θ^p$. We derive the same result in a toy scenario where the vacuum $\langle Φ\rangle$ is an ellipse with an arbitrarily larg…
It is well known that a canonical scalar field with an exponential potential can drive power law inflation (PLI). However, the tensor-to-scalar ratio in such models turns out to be larger than the stringent limit set by recent Planck results. We propose a new model of power law inflation for which the scalar spectra index, the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the non-gaussianity parameter $f_{_{\mathbf{NL}}}^{\mathrm{equil}}$ are in excellent agreement with Planck results. Inflation, in this model, is driven by a non-canonical scalar field with an inverse power law potential. The Lagrangian for our …
We study tachyon field inflation in the light of the Planck+WMAP+BICEP2+BAO joint data. While the minimally coupled tachyon field inflation is consistent with the Planck2013 data, it is not confirmed by the Planck+WMAP+BICEP2+BAO dataset. However, a nonminimally coupled tachyon field inflation is consistent with this joint dataset.
Classical scale invariance represents a promising framework for model building beyond the Standard Model. However, once coupled to gravity, any scale-invariant microscopic model requires an explanation for the origin of the Planck mass. In this paper, we provide a minimal example for such a mechanism and show how the Planck mass can be dynamically generated in a strongly coupled gauge sector. We consider the case of hidden SU(N_c) gauge interactions that link the Planck mass to the condensation of a scalar bilinear operator that is nonminimally coupled to curvature. The effective theory at ene…
These lecture notes have been written for a short introductory course on the status of inflation after Planck and BICEP2, given at the Xth Modave School of Mathematical Physics. The first objective is to give an overview of the theory of inflation: motivations, homogeneous scalar field dynamics, slow-roll approximation, linear theory of cosmological perturbations, classification of single field potentials and their observable predictions. This includes a pedagogical derivation of the primordial scalar and tensor power spectra for any effective single field potential. The second goal is to pres…
We study the dynamics of two concrete inflationary models, namely Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Inflation as well as Loop Inflation. We constrain the parameters for which a viable inflationary Universe emerges using the latest PLANCK results of last year, and we give predictions for the duration of reheating as well as for the reheating temperature after inflation. Our numerical results show that baryogenesis via leptogenesis may be realized within the inflationary models considered in this work.
The recently released BICEP2 data detected the primordial B-mode polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) map which strongly supports for a large tensor-to-scalar ratio, and thus, is found to be in tension with the Planck experiment with no evidence of primordial gravitational waves. Such an observational tension, if confirmed by forthcoming measurements, would bring a theoretical challenge for the very early universe models. To address this issue, we in the present paper revisit a single field inflation model, which includes a modulated potential. We show that this inflation mode…
We revisit phenomenological as well as string-theoretical aspects of D-brane inflation cosmological models. Phenomenologically these models stand out on par with $α$-attractors, as models with Planck-compatible values of $n_s$, moving down to the sweet spot in the data with decreasing value of $r$. On the formal side we present a new supersymmetric version of these models in the context of de Sitter supergravity with a nilpotent multiplet and volume modulus stabilization. The geometry of the nilpotent multiplet is evaluated in the framework of string theory.
We investigate two classes of models of quintessential inflation, based upon canonical as well as noncanonical scalar fields. In particular, introducing potentials steeper than the standard exponential, we construct models that can give rise to a successful inflationary phase, with signatures consistent with Planck 2015 results. Additionally, using nonminimal coupling of the scalar field with massive neutrino matter, we obtain the standard thermal history of the Universe, with late-time cosmic acceleration as the last stage of evolution. In both cases, inflation and late-time acceleration are …
Models of cosmic inflation posit an early phase of accelerated expansion of the universe, driven by the dynamics of one or more scalar fields in curved spacetime. Though detailed assumptions about fields and couplings vary across models, inflation makes specific, quantitative predictions for several observable quantities, such as the flatness parameter ($Ω_k = 1 - Ω$) and the spectral tilt of primordial curvature perturbations ($n_s - 1 = d \ln {\cal P}_{\cal R} / d \ln k$), among others---predictions that match the latest observations from the {\it Planck} satellite to very good precision. In…
In this paper we will analyze generic predictions of an inflection-point model of inflation with Hubble-induced corrections and study them in light of the Planck data. Typically inflection-point models of inflation can be embedded within Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) where inflation can occur below the Planck scale. The flexibility of the potential allows us to match the observed amplitude of the TT-power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation with low and high multipoles, spectral tilt, and virtually mild running of the spectral tilt, which can put a bound on an …
We present a minimal axion inflation model which can generate a large tensor-to-scalar ratio while remaining sub-Planckian. The modulus of a complex scalar field $Φ$ with a $λ|Φ|^4$ potential couples directly to the gauge field of a strongly-coupled sector via a term of the form $(|Φ|/M_{Pl})^{m} F \tilde{F}$. This generates a minimum of the potential which is aperiodic in the phase. The resulting inflation model is equivalent to a $ϕ^{4/(m+1)}$ chaotic inflation model. For the natural case of a leading-order portal-like interaction $Φ^{\dagger}ΦF \tilde{F}$, the model is equivalent to a $ϕ^{4…
We derive the stochastic description of a massless, interacting scalar field in de Sitter space directly from the quantum theory. This is done by showing that the density matrix for the effective theory of the long wavelength fluctuations of the field obeys a quantum version of the Fokker-Planck equation. This equation has a simple connection with the standard Fokker-Planck equation of the classical stochastic theory, which can be generalised to any order in perturbation theory. We illustrate this formalism in detail for the theory of a massless scalar field with a quartic interaction.
Single-field D-type inflation in the minimal supergravity in light of Planck-ACT-SPT data
Fudan University（复旦大学）；Tokyo Metropolitan University（东京都立大学）；Tomsk State University（托木斯克国立大学）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study（宇宙物理与数学研究所（WPI），东京大学高等研究院）
Theories where the Planck scale is dynamically generated from dimensionless interactions provide predictive inflationary potentials and super-Planckian field variations. We first study the minimal single-field realisation in the low-energy effective field theory limit, finding the predictions $n_s \approx 0.96$ for the spectral index and $r \approx 0.13$ for the tensor-to-scalar ratio, which can be reduced down to $\approx 0.04$ in presence of large couplings. Next we consider agravity as a dimensionless quantum gravity theory finding a multi-field inflation that converges towards an attractor…
We propose a chaotic inflation model in which the lightest right-handed sneutrino serves as the inflaton and the predicted values of the spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio are consistent with the Planck data. Interestingly, the observed magnitude of primordial density perturbations is naturally explained by the inflaton mass of order $10^{13}$GeV, which is close to the right-handed neutrino mass scale suggested by the seesaw mechanism and the neutrino oscillation experiments. We find that the agreement of the two scales becomes even better in the neutrino mass anarchy. We show that the …
The recently released Planck data have constrained 4-dimensional inflationary parameters even more accurately than ever. We consider an extension of the braneworld model with induced gravity and a non-minimally coupled scalar field on the brane. We constraint the inflation parameters in this setup, by adopting six types of potential, in confrontation with the joint Planck+WMAP9+BAO data. We show that a potential of the type $V(φ)=V_{0}\exp(-βφ)$ has the best fit with newly released observational data.
A recent paper argued that it is not possible to infer the energy scale of inflation from the amplitude of tensor fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background, because the usual connection is substantially altered if there are a large number of universally coupled fields present during inflation, with mass less than the inflationary Hubble scale. We give a simple argument demonstrating that this is incorrect.
We briefly summarize the impact of the recent Planck measurements for string inflationary models, and outline what might be expected to be learned in the near future from the expected improvement in sensitivity to the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio. We comment on whether these models provide sufficient added value to compensate for their complexity, and ask how they fare in the face of the new constraints on non-gaussianity and dark radiation. We argue that as a group the predictions made before Planck agree well with what has been seen, and draw conclusions from this about what is likely t…
We revisit a single-field new inflation model based on a discrete R symmetry. Interestingly, the inflaton dynamics naturally leads to a heavy gravitino of mass m_3/2 = O(1-100) TeV, which is consistent with the standard-model like Higgs boson of mass mh = 126 GeV. However, the predicted spectral index n_s = 0.94 is in tension with the Planck result, n_s = 0.9603+-0.073. We show that the spectral index can be increased by allowing a small constant term in the superpotential during inflation. The required size of the constant is close to the largest allowed value for successful inflation, and it…
We calculate high-precision constraints on Natural Inflation relative to current observational constraints from Planck 2018 + BICEP/Keck(BK15) Polarization + BAO on $r$ and $n_S$, including post-inflationary history of the universe. We find that, for conventional post-inflationary dynamics, Natural Inflation with a cosine potential is disfavored at greater than 95\% confidence out by current data. If we assume protracted reheating characterized by $\overline{w}>1/3,$ Natural Inflation can be brought into agreement with current observational constraints. However, bringing unmodified Natural Inf…
