A new inflaton model beginning near the Planck epoch

Abstract

The Starobinsky model predicts a primordial inflation period without the presence of an inflaton field. The modified version of this model predicts a simple time dependence for the Hubble parameter $H(t)$, which decreases slowly between the Planck epoch and the end of the inflation, $H(t)=M_{\rm Pl}-βM_{\rm Pl}^2 t$, where $β$ is a dimensionless constant to be adjusted from observations. We investigate an inflaton model which has the same time dependence for $H(t)$. A reverse engineered inflaton potential for the time dependence of $H$ is derived. Normalization of the derived inflaton potential is determined by the condition that the observed density fluctuations, $δρ/ρ\approx 10^{-5}$, are created at $\sim 60 e$-folds before the end of inflation. The derived potential indicates an energy (mass) scale, $M_{\rm end}\sim 10^{13} {\rm GeV}$, at the end of inflation. Using the slow roll parameters, which are obtained from this potential, we calculate the spectral index for the scalar modes $n_S$ and the relative amplitude of the tensor to scalar modes $r$. A tensor contribution, $r\simeq 0.13$, and an approximately Harrison-Zeldovich density perturbation spectrum, $n_S \simeq 0.95$, are predicted.