Hybrid inflation

Jul, 1993
11 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 49 (1994) 748-754
e-Print:
Report number:
  • SU-ITP-93-17

Citations per year

199320012009201720250204060
Abstract: (arXiv)
There exist two classes of inflationary models, which differ by the way inflation ends. The models of the first class describe slow rolling of the inflaton field ϕ\phi, which gradually becomes faster and faster. A particular model of this type is chaotic inflation in the theories ϕ n\phi~n or e αϕe~{\alpha\phi}. The models of the second class should contain at least two scalar fields, ϕ\phi and σ\sigma. They describe a strongly first order phase transition with bubble production, which is triggered by the slow rolling of the field ϕ\phi. One of the popular models of this type is the extended inflation scenario. We introduce another class of inflationary models, which have an intermediate position between the slow-rollover and the first-order models. They describe a stage of slow rolling of the field ϕ\phi. Then the slowly changing field ϕ\phi triggers rapid motion of the field σ\sigma, and the stage of inflation ends instantaneously, without any bubble production. This solves the problem of large bubbles in the first-order scenario. By changing parameters of the models one can interpolate between the slow-rollover scenario and the first-order one.
  • inflation
  • field theory: scalar
  • critical phenomena