Related papers: Singular $\alpha$-attractors
Cosmological alpha-attractors give a natural explanation for the spectral index n_s of inflation as measured by Planck while predicting a range for the tensor-to-scalar ratio r, consistent with all observations, to be measured more…
We use F. Ferrari's methods relating matrix models to Calabi-Yau spaces in order to explain much of Intriligator and Wecht's ADE classification of $\N=1$ superconformal theories which arise as RG fixed points of $\N = 1$ SQCD theories with…
We consider two classes of non-minimally coupled inflation models; those with a quadratic coupling of the inflaton to gravity, and the `Universal Attractor' models where the coupling is connected to the potential. We make a detailed…
We review some aspects of the attractor mechanism for extremal black holes of (not necessarily supersymmetric) theories coupling Einstein gravity to scalars and Maxwell vector fields. Thence, we consider N=2 and N=8, d=4 supergravities,…
The behavior of the magnetic potential near a point charge (fluxon) located at a curved regular boundary surface is shown to be essentially different from that of a volume point charge. In addition to the usual inverse distance singularity,…
We revisit the notion of slow-roll in the context of general single-field inflation. As a generalization of slow-roll dynamics, we consider an inflaton $\phi$ in an attractor phase where the time derivative of $\phi$ is determined by a…
In this PhD thesis, we investigate generic features of inflation which are strictly related to fundamental aspects of UV-physics scenarios, such as string theory or supergravity. After a short introduction to standard and inflationary…
The slow-roll approximation to inflation is ultimately justified by the presence of inflationary attractors for the orbits of the solutions of the dynamical equations in phase space. There are many indications that the inflaton field…
We construct a natural inflation model in supergravity where the inflaton is identified with a modulus field possessing a shift symmetry. The superpotential for the inflaton is generated by meson condensation due to strong dynamics with…
We study multifield inflation in scenarios where the fields are coupled non-minimally to gravity via $\xi_I(\phi^I)^n g^{\mu\nu}R_{\mu\nu}$, where $\xi_I$ are coupling constants, $\phi^I$ the fields driving inflation, $g_{\mu\nu}$ the…
Various extensions of standard inflationary models have been proposed recently by adding vector fields. Because they are generally motivated by large-scale anomalies, and the possibility of statistical anisotropy of primordial fluctuations,…
For an arbitrary unbounded domain $\Omega\subset\R^3$ and for $\eps>0$, we consider the damped hyperbolic equations \leqno{(H_\eps)} \eps u_{tt}+ u_t+\beta(x)u- \sum_{ij}(a_{ij}(x) u_{x_j})_{x_i}&=f(x,u),\quad x\in \Omega,…
We construct ensembles of random scalar potentials for $N_f$ interacting scalar fields using non-equilibrium random matrix theory, and use these to study the generation of observables during small-field inflation. For $N_f={\cal O}({\rm…
A {\em singular hyperbolic attractor} for flows is a partially hyperbolic attractor with singularities (hyperbolic ones) and volume expanding central direction \cite{mpp1}. The geometric Lorenz attractor \cite{gw} is an example of a…
We show how backreaction of the inflaton potential energy on heavy scalar fields can flatten the inflationary potential, as the heavy fields adjust to their most energetically favorable configuration. This mechanism operates in previous…
Palatini $F(R)$ gravity proved to be a powerful tool in order to realize asymptotically flat inflaton potentials. Unfortunately, it also inevitably implies higher-order inflaton kinetic terms in the Einstein frame that might jeopardize the…
A plateau on the background inflaton potential $V_{\rm b}(\phi)$ can lead cosmic inflation into an ultraslow-roll phase, greatly enhancing the primordial power spectrum on small scales, and resulting in intensive scalar-induced…
We show that in supersymmetry one can obtain inflationary potentials in the observable sector that are sufficiently flat at sub-Planckian field values. Structure of the supersymmetric scalar potential along a flat direction combined with…
We explore in detail the dynamics of multi-field inflationary models. We first revisit the two-field case and rederive the coordinate independent expression for the attractor solution with either small or large turn rate, emphasizing the…
We have recently proposed attractor models for modulus fixing, inflation, supersymmetry breaking and dark energy based on no-scale supergravity. In this paper we develop phenomenological and cosmological aspects of these no-scale attractor…