Cosmic Strings from Tribrid Inflation
arxiv(2024)
Abstract
Tribrid inflation is a class of supersymmetric inflation models where the
scalar component of a matter superfield, or a D-flat direction of matter
fields, drives inflation. Similar to Hybrid inflation, the end of inflation is
reached when a "waterfall field", which was stabilized during inflation at a
field value where the scalar potential features a large vacuum energy, starts
rapidly rolling towards its minimum where a symmetry group G is spontaneously
broken. In contrast to standard supersymmetric Hybrid inflation, where the
inflaton is a gauge singlet, in Tribrid inflation it can be a gauge
non-singlet, which, via its vacuum expectation value, already breaks the gauge
symmetry. This raises the question whether topological defects can still form
after inflation in this class of models, and if so, which types of defects are
generated. We investigate this question systematically in realisations of
Tribrid inflation where G = U(1) and we analyse under which conditions cosmic
strings form. We find that in the considered cases where domain walls form,
these are only temporary and do not invalidate the model realisations. We also
discuss how our results can be used to analyse models of Tribrid inflation
associated with the final step of SO(10) breaking, where cosmic strings can
be metastable and provide a promising explanation of the recent PTA results
hinting at a stochastic gravitational wave background at nanohertz frequencies.
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