Inflation from Asymptotically Safe Theories

TL;DR

This paper explores inflation driven by a novel class of asymptotically safe gauge theories with scalar sectors, predicting their behavior at high energies and analyzing their compatibility with cosmological data.

Contribution

It introduces a new framework for inflation based on asymptotically safe gauge theories, predicting scalar couplings and their evolution, and examines their implications for cosmology.

Findings

Minimal coupling requires large non-perturbative corrections.

Non-minimal coupling favors perturbative regime.

Reproducing density perturbations constrains theory parameters.

Abstract

We investigate models in which inflation is driven by an ultraviolet safe and interacting scalar sector stemming from a new class of nonsupersymmetric gauge field theories. These new theories, differently from generic scalar models, are well defined to arbitrary short distances because of the existence of a controllable ultraviolet interacting fixed point. The scalar couplings at the ultraviolet fixed point and their overall running are predicted by the geometric structure of the underlying theory. We analyse the minimal and non-minimal coupling to gravity of these theories and the consequences for inflation. In the minimal coupling case the theory requires large non-perturbative quantum corrections to the quantum potential for the theory to agree with data, while in the non- minimal coupling case the perturbative regime in the couplings of the theory is preferred. Requiring the theory to reproduce the observed amplitude of density perturbations constrain the geometric data of the theory such as the number of colors and flavors for generic values of the non-minimal coupling.