English

Inflationary scenarios beyond the Standard Model

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2025-08-27 v2 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to explain in clear and pedagogical terms how some particle-physics models and/or mechanisms can naturally lead to inflation and how this can provide testable predictions that can help us find new physics effects. Two well-established features of theoretical particle physics are linked to an essential property of inflation, a naturally-flat inflaton potential: (1) scale invariance, broken by small quantum corrections, and (2) Goldstone's theorem. It is also illustrated how to combine several scenarios of this type to obtain a rather general particle-physics motivated inflationary setup.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2501.08380,
  title  = {Inflationary scenarios beyond the Standard Model},
  author = {Alberto Salvio},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2501.08380},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

Invited chapter of the section on Beyond the Standard Model contained in the Encyclopedia of Particle Physics (1st edition, Elsevier). 13 pages. Published version