Inflationary universe in a conformally-invariant two scalar-field theory with an $R^2$ term

Abstract

We investigate the inflationary universe in a theory where two scalar fields non-minimally coupling to the scalar curvature and an extra $R^2$ term exist and the conformal invariance is broken. In particular, the slow-roll inflation is explored for the case that one scalar field is dynamical and that two scalar fields are dynamical. As a result, we show that the spectral index of the curvature perturbations and the tensor-to-scalar ratio of the density perturbations can be compatible with the Planck results. It is also demonstrated that the graceful exit from inflation can be realized.