Hidden symmetries of two-field cosmological models

Abstract

We determine the most general time-independent Noether symmetries of two-field cosmological models with rotationally-invariant scalar manifold metrics. In particular, we show that such models can have hidden symmetries, which arise if and only if the scalar manifold metric has Gaussian curvature $-3/8$, i.e. when the model is of elementary $\alpha$-attractor type with a fixed value of the parameter $\alpha$. In this case, we find explicitly all scalar potentials compatible with hidden Noether symmetries, thus classifying all models of this type. We also discuss some implications of the corresponding conserved quantity.