# Towards a reliable effective field theory of inflation

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum field theory model of warm inflation that is renormalizable, naturally consistent with quantum gravity, and can produce observationally viable inflationary predictions with strong dissipation.

## Contribution

It presents the first renormalizable warm inflation model with a super-Hubble inflaton mass, sub-Planckian field excursions, and a mechanism for sustained slow-roll with large parameters.

## Key findings

- Model is consistent with quantum gravity and naturalness.
- Achieves slow-roll inflation with large parameters via strong dissipation.
- Predicts a very low tensor-to-scalar ratio, compatible with Planck data.

## Abstract

We present the first quantum field theory model of inflation that is renormalizable in the matter sector, with a super-Hubble inflaton mass and sub-Planckian field excursions, which is thus technically natural and consistent with a high-energy completion within a theory of quantum gravity. This is done in the framework of warm inflation, where we show, for the first time, that strong dissipation can fully sustain a slow-roll trajectory with slow-roll parameters larger than unity in a way that is both theoretically and observationally consistent. The inflaton field corresponds to the relative phase between two complex scalar fields that collectively break a U(1) gauge symmetry, and dissipates its energy into scalar degrees of freedom in the warm cosmic heat bath. A discrete interchange symmetry protects the inflaton mass from large thermal corrections. We further show that the dissipation coefficient decreases with temperature in certain parametric regimes, which prevents a large growth of thermal inflaton fluctuations. We find, in particular, a very good agreement with the Planck legacy data for a simple quadratic inflaton potential, predicting a low tensor-to-scalar ratio $r\lesssim 10^{-5}$.