Towards universal axion inflation and reheating in string theory

The recent BICEP2 measurements of B-modes indicate a large tensor-to-scalar ratio in inflationary cosmology, which points towards trans-Planckian evolution of the inflaton. We propose possible string-theory realizations thereof. Schemes for natural and axion monodromy inflation are presented in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ralph Blumenhagen, Erik Plauschinn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014-09-01
Series:Physics Letters B
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314005747
Description
Summary:The recent BICEP2 measurements of B-modes indicate a large tensor-to-scalar ratio in inflationary cosmology, which points towards trans-Planckian evolution of the inflaton. We propose possible string-theory realizations thereof. Schemes for natural and axion monodromy inflation are presented in the framework of the type IIB large volume scenario. The inflaton in both cases is given by the universal axion and its potential is generated by F-terms. Our models are shown to feature a natural mechanism for inflaton decay into predominantly Standard Model particles.
ISSN:0370-2693
1873-2445