Related papers: Thermal Inflation and the Moduli Problem
The radial mode of n extra compact dimensions (the radion, b) can cause inflation in theories where the fundamental gravity scale, M, is smaller than the Planck scale M_P. For radion potentials V(b) with a simple polynomial form, to get the…
A generic feature of inflationary models in supergravity/string constructions is vacuum misalignment for the moduli fields. The associated production of moduli particles leads to an epoch in the post-inflationary history in which the energy…
We show that in generic supergravity theories the mass of the moduli during inflation is larger (or at least of the same order of magnitude) than the Hubble constant. This fact does not depends on the details of the inflation and on the…
We consider supersymmetric inflation models in which inflation occurs at an intermediate scale and which provide a solution to the $\mu$ problem and the strong CP problem. Such models are particularly attractive since inflation,…
Inflation with plateau potentials give the best fit to the CMB observables as they predict tensor to scalar ratio stringently bounded by the observations from Planck and BICEP2/Keck. In supergravity models it is possible to obtain plateau…
We consider the possibility that supersymmetry is broken above the inflationary mass scale and that the only "low" energy remnant of supersymmetry is the gravitino with mass of order the EeV scale. The gravitino in this class of models…
We revisit the cosmological history in the presence of light moduli by including possible thermal effects in the scalar potential. The well known cosmological moduli problem regards initial energy stored in the moduli due to a misalignment…
Cosmic inflation is arguably the most favoured paradigm of the very early Universe. It postulates an early phase of fast, nearly exponential, and accelerated expansion. Inflationary models are capable of explaining the overall flatness and…
We reconsider the Polonyi problem in gravity-mediation models for supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking. It has been argued that there is no problem in the dynamical SUSY breaking scenarios, since the Polonyi field acquires a sufficiently large…
Moduli with flat or run-away classical potentials are generic in theories based on supersymmetry and extra dimensions. They mix between themselves and with matter fields in kinetic terms and in the nonperturbative superpotentials. As the…
Most models of inflation have small parameters, either to guarantee sufficient inflation or the correct magnitude of the density perturbations. In this paper we show that, in supersymmetric theories with weak scale supersymmetry breaking,…
We propose a topological inflation model in supergravity. In this model, the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of a scalar field takes a value much larger than the gravitational scale $M_{G} \simeq 2.4 \times 10^{18}$ GeV, which is large…
Assuming a first order phase transition during inflation, a model scenario is described which does not require a tiny coupling constant. Thermal equilibrium is closely maintained as inflation commences. No large scale reheating is…
We investigate a class of models of topological inflation in which a super-Hubble-sized global monopole seeds inflation. These models are attractive since inflation starts from rather generic initial conditions, but their not so attractive…
We investigate chaotic inflation models with two scalar fields, such that one field (the inflaton) rolls while the other is trapped in a false vacuum state. The false vacuum becomes unstable when the inflaton field falls below some critical…
It is known that the present electroweak vacuum is likely to be metastable and it may lead to a serious instability during/after inflation. We propose a simple solution to the problem of vacuum instability during/after inflation. If there…
We study the details of eternal inflation in the presence of a spectator Higgs field within the framework of the minimal Standard Model. We have recently shown that in the presence of scalar field(s) which allow inflation only within a…
Many models of high energy physics possess metastable vacua. It is conceivable that the universe can get trapped in such a false vacuum, irrespective of its origin and prior history, at an earlier stage during its evolution. The ensuing…
Supersymmetric flat directions allow a generic counterexample to the phenomenon of symmetry restoration at high temperatures. We show that (exponentially) large VEVs can be developed along these directions through temperature-induced…
This paper discusses models of inflation based on global supersymmetry. It is shown that there are parameter ranges, consisent with observational constraints, for which warm inflation occurs and supergravity effects can be neglected. There…