Tensor modes in pure natural inflation

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Physics Letters B

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2018.02.071· OSTI ID:1423905

Nomura, Yasunori ; Yamazaki, Masahito

We study tensor modes in pure natural inflation, a recently-proposed inflationary model in which an axionic inflaton couples to pure Yang–Mills gauge fields. We find that the tensor-to-scalar ratio r is naturally bounded from below. This bound originates from the finiteness of the number of metastable branches of vacua in pure Yang–Mills theories. Details of the model can be probed by future cosmic microwave background experiments and improved lattice gauge theory calculations of the θ-angle dependence of the vacuum energy.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1423905
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1461997
• Journal Information: Physics Letters B, Journal Name: Physics Letters B Vol. 780 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 0370-2693
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: Netherlands
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS