CMB constraints on monodromy inflation at strong coupling

Copeland, Edmund J.; Cunillera, Francesc; Moss, Adam; Padilla, Antonio

Abstract

We carry out a thorough numerical examination of field theory monodromy inflation at strong coupling. We perform an MCMC analysis using a Gaussian likelihood, fitting multiparameter models using CMB constraints on the spectral index and the tensor to scalar ratio. We show that models with uniquely positive Wilson coefficients are ruled out. If there are coefficients that can take on both signs, there can be a cancellation of terms that flattens the potentials and allows one to satisfy current data, and forecasts with strong constraints on the tensor to scalar ratio. Models of field theory monodromy are naturally enhanced to include a mechanism for canceling off radiative corrections to vacuum energy, via vacuum energy sequestering (VES). Although they include a much larger parameter space, we find that a similar numerical examination yields no significant change in the Bayesian evidence for VES enhanced models, with naturalness considerations making them more attractive from a theoretical perspective.

Citation

Copeland, E. J., Cunillera, F., Moss, A., & Padilla, A. (2022). CMB constraints on monodromy inflation at strong coupling. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2022(09), Article 080. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/080

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 9, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2022
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 29, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 2, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
• Electronic ISSN: 1475-7516
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2022
• Issue: 09
• Article Number: 080
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/080
• Keywords: inflation, physics of the early universe, string theory and cosmology, transplanckian physics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/12022582
• Publisher URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/080