Non-Minimal Quartic Inflation in Supersymmetric SO(10)

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how non-minimal quartic inflation can be embedded in supersymmetric SO(10) models, naturally linking inflation, leptogenesis, and GUT symmetry breaking, with predictions consistent with observations.

Contribution

It presents a realistic supersymmetric SO(10) inflation model where the inflaton arises from Higgs multiplets, connecting inflation to GUT symmetry breaking and leptogenesis.

Findings

Scalar spectral index $n_s$ matches observations

Tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ predicted to be $10^{-3}-10^{-2}$

Inflation naturally occurs with Higgs fields responsible for GUT symmetry breaking

Abstract

We describe how quartic ($\lambda \phi^4$) inflation with non-minimal coupling to gravity is realized in realistic supersymmetric $SO(10)$ models. In a well-motivated example the $16-\overline{16}$ Higgs multiplets, which break $SO(10)$ to $SU(5)$ and yield masses for the right-handed neutrinos, provide the inflaton field $\phi$. Thus, leptogenesis is a natural outcome in this class of $SO(10)$ models. Moreover, the adjoint (45-plet) Higgs also acquires a GUT scale value during inflation so that the monopole problem is evaded. The scalar spectral index $n_s$ is in good agreement with the observations and $r$, the tensor to scalar ratio, is predicted for realistic values of GUT parameters to be of order $10^{-3}-10^{-2}$.