The Challenge of Realizing F-term Axion Monodromy Inflation in String Theory

TL;DR

This paper systematically investigates the feasibility of realizing F-term axion monodromy inflation in type IIB string theory, revealing a no-go theorem for the universal axion and providing an explicit example with a hierarchically light axion-like field.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive analysis of moduli stabilization constraints and constructs a specific model demonstrating F-term axion monodromy inflation with a light axion.

Findings

No-go theorem for universal axion involvement in inflation

Explicit example of a hierarchically lighter axion-like field

Constraints from moduli stabilization limit inflationary models

Abstract

A systematic analysis of possibilities for realizing single-field F-term axion monodromy inflation via the flux-induced superpotential in type IIB string theory is performed. In this well-defined setting the conditions arising from moduli stabilization are taken into account, where we focus on the complex-structure moduli but ignore the Kaehler moduli sector. Our analysis leads to a no-go theorem, if the inflaton involves the universal axion. We furthermore construct an explicit example of F-term axion monodromy inflation, in which a single axion-like field is hierarchically lighter than all remaining complex-structure moduli.