K\"ahler-driven Tribrid Inflation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new class of tribrid inflation models in supergravity where the inflaton potential is primarily shaped by higher-dimensional operators in the Kähler potential, offering a novel mechanism for inflation.

Contribution

The paper explores a previously unstudied regime where Kähler potential effects dominate the inflaton potential in tribrid inflation models, expanding the theoretical landscape.

Findings

Identifies conditions for the dominance of Kähler-driven effects in inflation

Shows how to distinguish this regime experimentally from other models

Provides parameter space analysis for superpotential parameters

Abstract

We discuss a new class of tribrid inflation models in supergravity, where the shape of the inflaton potential is dominated by effects from the K\"ahler potential. Tribrid inflation is a variant of hybrid inflation which is particularly suited for connecting inflation with particle physics, since the inflaton can be a D-flat combination of charged fields from the matter sector. In models of tribrid inflation studied so far, the inflaton potential was dominated by either loop corrections or by mixing effects with the waterfall field (as in "pseudosmooth" tribrid inflation). Here we investigate the third possibility, namely that tribrid inflation is dominantly driven by effects from higher-dimensional operators of the K\"ahler potential. We specify for which superpotential parameters the new regime is realized and show how it can be experimentally distinguished from the other two (loop-driven and "pseudosmooth") regimes.