The Flavour of Inflation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel class of inflation models tied to family symmetry breaking in particle physics, where flavons serve as inflaton or waterfall fields, connecting flavor physics with cosmology.

Contribution

It proposes inflation models based on family symmetry phase transitions, linking flavor physics to early universe cosmology with flavons as key fields.

Findings

New inflation models based on family symmetry breaking.

Flavons can act as inflaton or waterfall fields.

Potential cosmological implications of flavor-related inflation.

Abstract

A new class of particle physics models of inflation based on the phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of family symmetry is proposed. The Higgs fields responsible for the breaking of family symmetry, the flavons, are natural inflaton candidates or waterfall fields in hybrid inflation. This opens up a rich vein of possible inflation models, all linked to the physics of flavour, with several interesting cosmological implications.