A new perspective on supersymmetric inflation

Abstract

We consider supersymmetric inflation with the hybrid-type potential. In the absence of the symmetry that forbids Hubble-induced mass terms, the inflaton mass will be as large as the Hubble scale during inflation. We consider gravitational decay of the trigger field as the least decay mode and find that the damping caused by the dissipation can dominate the friction of the inflaton when the heavy trigger field is coupled to the inflaton. The dissipative damping provides a solution to the traditional $\eta$ problem without introducing additional symmetry and interactions. Considering the spatial inhomogeneities of the dissipative coefficient, we find that modulated inflation (modulation of the inflaton velocity) can create significant curvature perturbations.