Isocurvature-induced features in multi-field Higgs-$R^2$ inflation

Abstract

We study primordial perturbations in Higgs--$R^2$ inflation in the presence of non-minimal kinetic mixing between the Higgs field and the scalaron. By numerically solving the multifield background and linear perturbation equations, we identify distinct dynamical regimes controlled by the Higgs non-minimal coupling $ξ_h$. For $ξ_h \sim \mathcal{O}(0.1)$, transient turning of the inflationary trajectory leads to a transfer between adiabatic and isocurvature modes, generating localized features in the primordial curvature power spectrum. In contrast, in the weak-coupling regime $ξ_h \ll 1$, the curvature spectrum remains nearly featureless while isocurvature perturbations do not fully decay, resulting in a residual isocurvature component at the end of inflation. We compute the associated CMB angular power spectra and discuss the observational implications of these regimes. Our results highlight the role of multifield dynamics in shaping primordial perturbations and provide constraints on viable realizations of Higgs--$R^2$ inflation.