Scale-invariant inflation

Abstract

We examine a scalar-tensor model of gravity that is globally scale-invariant. When adapted to a spatially flat Robertson-Walker metric, the equations of motion describe a dynamical system that flows from an unstable de Sitter space to a stable one. We show that during this transition inflation can occur. Moreover, at the final fixed point, a mass scale naturally emerges that can be identified with the Planck mass. We compute the inflationary spectral indices and the tensor perturbation and we compare them with observations. We also study the possibility that primordial magnetic fields are generated during inflation.