Related papers: The rapid-turn inflationary attractor
We explore the mechanics of inflation in simplified extra-dimensional models involving an inflaton interacting with the Einstein-Maxwell system in two extra dimensions. The models are Goldilocks-like in that they are just complicated enough…
We investigate in detail the attractor behavior of some inflationary models based on braneworld dynamics under the constant-roll condition. We describe the dynamics of the models, assuming that the second slow-roll parameter remains…
In this note we present a simple but exact model of quasi-single field inflation \cite{Chen:2009zp, Chen:2009we}, in which the couplings between perturbations are completely controlled, and for instance can be made constant with any desired…
In inflationary scenarios with more than one scalar field, inflation may proceed even if each of the individual fields has a potential too steep for that field to sustain inflation on its own. We show that scalar fields with exponential…
The unwinding inflation mechanism is studied in a type IIB flux compactification where all moduli are stabilized using flux, non-perturbative effects, and the leading alpha' corrections of the large volume scenario. We consider the…
We search for effective axions with super-Planckian decay constants in type IIB string models. We argue that such axions can be realised as long winding trajectories in complex-structure moduli space by an appropriate flux choice. Our main…
We investigate a compelling model of quintessential inflation in the context of $\alpha$-attractors, which naturally result in a scalar potential featuring two flat regions, the inflationary plateau and the quintessential tail. The…
We summarize our work on constant roll inflationary models. It was understood recently that constant roll inflation, in a regime beyond the slow roll approximation, can give models that are in agreement with the observational constraints.…
Slow-roll inflation requires the inflaton field to have an exceptionally flat potential, which combined with measurements of the scale of inflation demands some degree of fine-tuning. Alternatively, the flatness of the potential could be…
We derive a closed-form, analytical expression for the spectrum of long-wavelength density perturbations in inflationary models with two (or more) inflaton degrees of freedom that is valid in the slow-roll approximation. We illustrate…
We consider four-dimensional gravity coupled to a non-linear sigma model whose scalar manifold is a non-compact geometrically finite surface $\Sigma$ endowed with a Riemannian metric of constant negative curvature. When the space-time is an…
In a general single field inflationary model we consider the effects of long wavelength scalar fluctuations on the effective expansion rate and equation of state seen by a class of free falling observers, using a physical gauge invariant…
Nonminimal coupling of the inflaton field to the Ricci curvature of spacetime is generally unavoidable, and the paradigm of inflation should be generalized by including the corresponding term in the Lagrangian of the inflationary theory.…
We obtain cosmological constraints on models of inflation which exhibit rapid roll solutions. Rapid roll attractors exist for potentials with large mass terms and are thus of interest for inflationary model building within string theory. We…
We present a two-field inflation model where inflaton field has a non-canonical kinetic term due to the presence of a dilaton field. It is a two-parameter generalization of one-parameter Brans-Dicke gravity in the Einstein frame. We show…
Non-abelian discrete gauge symmetries can provide the inflaton with a flat potential even when one takes into account gravitational strength effects. The discreteness of the symmetries also provide special field values where inflation can…
We re-examine large scalar fields within effective field theory, in particular focussing on the issues raised by their use in inflationary models (as suggested by BICEP2 to obtain primordial tensor modes). We argue that when the large-field…
We seek power-law Bianchi type I solutions for an inflationary universe in a model with one scalar field non-minimally coupled to three vector fields aligned along the three axes. As a result, we find four types of power-law solutions that…
We investigate the interplay between moduli dynamics and inflation, focusing on the KKLT-scenario and cosmological $\alpha$-attractors. General couplings between these sectors can induce a significant backreaction and potentially destroy…
We review the attractor properties of the simplest chaotic model of inflation, in which a minimally coupled scalar field is endowed with a quadratic scalar potential. The equations of motion in a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe are…