Probing single-field inflation: predictions, constraints, and theoretical viewpoints

Abstract

This work investigates a single-field inflationary model, a specific class of the K-essence models where a coupling term exists between canonical Lagrangian and the potential. This coupling term has many effects on key inflationary parameters consisting of the power spectral, the spectral index, the tensor-to-scalar ratio, the Hubble parameter, the equation of state parameter, and the slow-roll parameter. By solving the equations numerically and deriving analytical results, how this modification affects inflationary dynamics can be analyzed. Our results show that the coupling term, $\alpha$, decreases the inflationary parameters, such as the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$, and improves the consistency with observational constraints from Planck and BICEP/Keck at the $68 \%$ and $95 \%$ confidence. These findings indicate that the studied model provides a promising alternative to the early universe dynamics while aligning with recent cosmological observations.