Related papers: Dilatonic Inflation and SUSY Breaking in String-in…
Recently, a class of inflation models in supergravity with gauge non-singlet matter fields as the inflaton has been proposed. It is based on a `tribrid' structure in the superpotential and on a Heisenberg symmetry for solving the…
We investigate the constraints of slow-roll inflation on the string worldsheet. A general gravity-matter set-up is used in which the worldsheet consists of an abstract CFT coupled to a 3+1 dimensional non-linear sigma model. The empirical…
It is commonly believed that a successful period of inflation driven by a single or several scalar fields requires a specific hierarchy of masses given by $M_{inf}\ll H \ll M_{heavy}$, where $M_{inf}$ can correspond to several or a single…
In a recent paper, we identified a cosmological sector of a flipped $SU(5)$ model derived in the free fermionic formulation of the heterotic superstring, containing the inflaton and the goldstino superfields with a superpotential leading to…
We construct a realistic supersymmetric model for superheavy metastable cosmic strings (CSs) that can be investigated in the current pulsar timing array (PTA) experiments. It is based on shifted $\mu$-hybrid inflation in which the symmetry…
We adopt a covariant formalism to derive exact evolution equations for nonlinear perturbations, in a universe dominated by two scalar fields. These scalar fields are characterized by non-canonical kinetic terms and an arbitrary field space…
Fibre inflation is a specific string theory construction based on the Large Volume Scenario that produces an inflationary plateau. We outline its relation to $\alpha$-attractor models for inflation, with the cosmological sector originating…
We consider a broad class of inflationary models of two unconstrained chiral superfields, the stabilizer $S$ and the inflaton $\Phi$, which can describe inflationary models with nearly arbitrary potentials. These models include, in…
We study symmetry breaking and topological defects in a supersymmetric model with gauge group $\text{U}(2)$, which can be identified with the right-handed part $\text{SU}(2)_R \times \text{U}(1)_{B-L}$ of an extended electroweak symmetry of…
Cosmic inflation is the cornerstone of modern cosmology. In particular, following the Planck mission reports presented in 2015 regarding cosmic microwave background (CMB), there is an increasing interest in searching for inflaton candidates…
The large tensor spectrum recently observed by the BICEP2 Collaboration requires a super-Planckian field variation of the inflaton in the single-field inflationary scenario. The required slow-roll parameter \epsilon \approx 0.01 would…
We have recently shown that, if the inflaton has a nonzero vacuum expectation value, it generically couples to any matter fields that appear in the superpotential at the tree level, and to any gauge sectors through anomalies in the…
We consider the theory obtained by adding to the usual string frame dilaton gravity action specially constructed higher derivative terms motivated by the limited curvature construction of [MukhanovET1992a] and determine the spatially…
Supersymmetry plays a fundamental role in the radiative stability of many inflationary models. Spontaneous breaking of the symmetry inevitably leads to fields with masses of order the Hubble scale during inflation. When these fields couple…
An inflationary stage dominated by a D-term avoids the slow-roll problem of inflation in supergravity and can naturally emerge in theories with a non-anomalous or anomalous U(1) gauge symmetry. In the latter case, however, the scale of…
We present a realistic supersymmetric $\mu$-hybrid inflation model within the framework of $SU(4)_C \times SU(2)_L \times U(1)_R$ gauge symmetry, wherein the symmetry breaking $SU(4)_C \times SU(2)_L \times U(1)_R\rightarrow SU(3)_C\times…
In this paper we demand that a successfull inflationary scenario should follow from a model entirely motivated by particle physics considerations. We show that such a connection is indeed possible within the framework of concrete…
A double hybrid inflationary scenario in non-minimal supergravity which can predict values of the tensor-to-scalar ratio up to about 0.05 is presented. Larger values of this ratio would require unacceptably large running of the scalar…
This thesis is dedicated to the study of inflationary scenarios based on string theory. Inflation is a brief period of accelerated expansion in the very early Universe which gives natural explanations for problems of the Standard Big Bang…
We discuss inflation models within supersymmetry and supergravity frameworks with a landscape of chiral superfields and one $U(1)$ shift symmetry which is broken by non-perturbative symmetry breaking terms in the superpotential. We label…