Twisted Inflation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel slow-roll inflation mechanism using higher-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories with twisted boundary conditions, leading to a nearly flat potential suitable for inflation and connecting to confining gauge theories.

Contribution

It proposes a new inflation model based on twisted boundary conditions in higher-dimensional supersymmetric theories, with calculable potentials at weak coupling and a gravity dual at strong coupling.

Findings

Potential is nearly flat at large field values, enabling slow-roll inflation.

Model predicts a small tensor-to-scalar ratio consistent with observations.

Provides a concrete realization using 4+1D maximally supersymmetric gauge theory.

Abstract

We present a new mechanism for slow-roll inflation based on higher dimensional supersymmetric gauge theory compactified to four dimensions with twisted (supersymmetry breaking) boundary conditions. These boundary conditions lead to a potential for directions in field space that would have been flat were supersymmetry preserved. For field values in these directions much larger than the supersymmetry-breaking scale, the flatness of the potential is nearly restored. Starting in this nearly flat region, inflation can occur as the theory relaxes towards the origin of field space. Near the origin, the potential becomes steep and the theory quickly descends to a confining gauge theory in which the inflaton does not exist as a particle. This confining gauge theory could be part of the Standard Model (QCD) or a natural dark matter sector; we comment on various scenarios for reheating. As a specific illustration of this mechanism, we discuss 4+1 dimensional maximally supersymmetric gauge theory on a circle with antiperiodic boundary conditions for fermions. When the theory is weakly coupled at the compactification scale, we calculate the inflaton potential directly in field theory by integrating out the heavy W-bosons and their superpartners. At strong coupling the model can be studied using a gravity dual, which realizes a new model of brane inflation on a non-supersymmetric throat geometry. Assuming there exists a UV completion that avoids the eta-problem, predictions from our model are consistent with present observations, and imply a small tensor-to-scalar ratio.