Testing hilltop supernatural inflation with gravitational waves

TL;DR

This paper proposes that gravitational waves from cosmic strings can test small-field hilltop supernatural inflation models, which are otherwise hard to constrain via primordial gravitational waves.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to test small-field inflation models through gravitational waves from cosmic strings, complementing traditional tensor-to-scalar ratio measurements.

Findings

Cosmic strings produced after inflation generate detectable gravitational waves.

Future gravitational wave detectors can constrain or validate the inflation model parameters.

The model provides a new observational avenue for small-field inflation theories.

Abstract

The scale of small-field inflation cannot be constrained via primordial gravitational waves through measurement of tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$. In this study, I show that if cosmic strings are produced after symmetry breaking at the end of hilltop supernatural inflation, this small-field inflation model can be tested through the production of gravitational waves from cosmic strings. Future experiments of gravitational wave detectors will determine or further constrain the parameter space in the model.