A Phase Transition between Small and Large Field Models of Inflation

TL;DR

This paper reveals a phase transition in inflation models, distinguishing large and small field types based on initial conditions, with critical exponents characterizing the transition.

Contribution

It identifies a phase transition in inflection point inflation models, highlighting universal and non-universal behaviors and providing critical exponents for the transition.

Findings

Existence of a phase transition between small and large field inflation models.

Universal behavior at large field region with respect to initial conditions.

Integer critical exponents at the phase transition.

Abstract

We show that models of inflection point inflation exhibit a phase transition from a region in parameter space where they are of large field type to a region where they are of small field type. The phase transition is between a universal behavior, with respect to the initial condition, at the large field region and non-universal behavior at the small field region. The order parameter is the number of e-foldings. We find integer critical exponents at the transition between the two phases.