Models of inflation and their predictions

TL;DR

This paper discusses the challenges of inflation model-building within field theory and highlights how current observational data on the spectral index can distinguish between different models, potentially identifying a unique viable model.

Contribution

It emphasizes the importance of the spectral index in discriminating inflation models and explores the implications of field theory constraints on model-building.

Findings

Spectral index measurements can differentiate inflation models.

Field theory imposes constraints on viable inflation scenarios.

Future observations may identify a unique inflation model.

Abstract

Taking field theory seriously, inflation model-building is difficult but not impossible. The observed value of the spectral index of the adiabatic density perturbation is starting to discriminate between models, and may well pick out a unique one in the forseeable future.