Natural Inflation and Quantum Gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores how higher-dimensional gauge and gravitational dynamics can produce viable Natural Inflation models consistent with quantum gravity constraints, especially the Weak Gravity Conjecture, offering a theoretically controlled inflationary framework.

Contribution

It demonstrates that higher-dimensional gauge and gravitational theories can satisfy quantum gravity constraints and produce natural inflation models that are both viable and predictive.

Findings

Higher-dimensional dynamics satisfy Weak Gravity Conjecture constraints

Natural Inflation models can be embedded in quantum gravity frameworks

The models are theoretically controlled and predictive

Abstract

Cosmic Inflation provides an attractive framework for understanding the early universe and the cosmic microwave background. It can readily involve energies close to the scale at which Quantum Gravity effects become important. General considerations of black hole quantum mechanics suggest nontrivial constraints on any effective field theory model of inflation that emerges as a low-energy limit of quantum gravity, in particular the constraint of the Weak Gravity Conjecture. We show that higher-dimensional gauge and gravitational dynamics can elegantly satisfy these constraints and lead to a viable, theoretically-controlled and predictive class of Natural Inflation models.