# Chaotic inflation with four-form couplings

## TL;DR

This paper explores chaotic inflation models involving a pseudo-scalar field coupled to four-form fluxes, leading to a quadratic inflaton potential, non-minimal gravity coupling, and a built-in reheating mechanism, while maintaining shift symmetry.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel framework where four-form couplings generate inflationary potentials and gravity couplings, preserving shift symmetry and addressing reheating.

## Key findings

- Inflationary predictions are consistent with observations.
- The model is robust against higher order corrections.
- A natural reheating mechanism is incorporated.

## Abstract

We consider chaotic inflation models with a pseudo-scalar field containing the general couplings to the four-form flux. The four-form mixing with the pseudo-scalar field induces a quadratic potential for inflaton while the coexisting four-form mixing with graviton generates a non-minimal gravity coupling for inflaton. The shift symmetry is respected by the derived inflaton couplings and it is broken spontaneously only by the fixed four-form flux. We discuss the success of inflationary predictions and robustness against higher order terms. Finally, the built-in reheating mechanism is also addressed.