A Spinodal Solution to Swampland Inflationary Constraints

Abstract

We show how the inclusion of non-perturbative, {\em dynamical} quantum effects on the evolution of the inflaton can allow for an inflationary phase that is both consistent with cosmological constraints {\em and} avoids the problems associated with the so-called swampland conditions. In particular, for concave potentials such as those preferred by the Planck data, spinodal instabilities associated with tachyonic masses for long wavelength modes induce a second round of inflation, which in essence decouples the tree-level potential from the inflationary phase. We illustrate these points using natural inflation as an example.

arXiv comment4 pages, 2 figures. v2: Final version accepted for publication in PRD. Changes: minor clarifications to the presentation

References in corpus (15)

• Monodromy in the CMB: Gravity Waves and String Inflation
• Natural Inflation: Particle Physics Models, Power Law Spectra for Large Scale Structure, and Constraints from COBE
• On the Cosmological Implications of the String Swampland
• Warm Inflation in the Adiabatic Regime- a Model, an Existence Proof for Inflationary Dynamics in Quantum Field Theory
• The string swampland constraints require multi-field inflation
• The Swampland Conjecture and F-term Axion Monodromy Inflation
• A note on Inflation and the Swampland
• A note on Single-field Inflation and the Swampland Criteria
• Rescuing Single Field Inflation from the Swampland
• Avoiding the string swampland in single-field inflation: Excited initial states
• Natural Inflation: Consistency with Cosmic Microwave Background Observations of Planck and BICEP2
• Spinodal Decomposition and Inflation: Dynamics and Metric Perturbations
• Spinodal Inflation
• Spinodal Instabilities and Super-Planckian Excursions in Natural Inflation
• Non-Equilibrium Large N Yukawa Dynamics: marching through the Landau pole

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Pixelated Dark Energy
• Dark energy beyond quintessence: Constraints from the swampland
• Hyperbolic field space and swampland conjecture for DBI scalar
• Multi-field Inflation in High-Slope Potentials
• Constraints on dark energy models from the Horndeski theory
• Topological Eternal Hilltop Inflation and the Swampland Criteria
• Consistency of Tachyacoustic Cosmology with de Sitter Swampland Conjectures
• Hidden Sectors in String Theory: Kinetic Mixings, Fifth Forces and Quintessence
• Refined Swampland conjecture in deformed Starobinsky gravity
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Swampland: The Cosmologist's Handbook to the string-theoretical Swampland Programme
• Escape from the swamp with spectator