Inflationary constraints on the moduli-dependent species scale in modular invariant theories

TL;DR

This paper links modular inflation models to a predicted emergence of new physics at high energies, constrained by observational data and the moduli-dependent species scale, with implications for string theory compactifications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to connect inflationary observables with the species scale in modular invariant theories, providing new constraints on high-energy physics.

Findings

New physics predicted between 10^{15} and 10^{17} GeV

Re-expresses inflationary observables in terms of the species scale

Implications for Calabi-Yau threefold compactifications

Abstract

We demonstrate that a broad class of modular inflation models predicts the emergence of new physics within an energy range of approximately \( 10^{15} \, \mathrm{GeV} \) to \( 10^{17} \, \mathrm{GeV} \). This prediction arises by comparing the moduli-dependent species scale with observational constraints on inflation. Specifically, we illustrate this within the context of \( SL(2, \mathbb{Z}) \)-modular inflation models by re-expressing inflationary observables in terms of the species scale. We further discuss the implications of this approach for generic Calabi-Yau threefolds.