Dissipative Multi-Field Dynamics from Non-Hermitian Inflationary Potentials

Dissipative Multi-Field Dynamics from Non-Hermitian Inflationary Potentials
S. D. Campos (Federal University of S~ao Carlos)
arXiv:2609.00992v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: In this work, we develop a perturbative framework for inflation driven by a complex inflaton with non-minimal gravitational coupling and a non-Hermitian potential. During the observable cosmic microwave background radiation era, the dynamics reduce to an effectively conservative two-field model, preserving the predictions of the $alpha$-attractor class and satisfying Planck 2018 and BICEP/Keck constraints on $n_s$, $r$, and $f_{mathrm{NL}}$. Near the end of inflation, trajectory bending activates the non-Hermitian sector, triggering geometric reheating. The resulting non-unitary evolution modifies the curvature spectrum and stochastic gravitational-wave background through a calculable damping factor determined by the complex mass eigenvalues. While cosmic microwave background-scale observables remain essentially unchanged, a distinctive suppression emerges in the high-frequency gravitational-wave spectrum ($f > 10^2$ Hz), potentially testable by future detectors such as the Einstein Telescope and the Big Bang Observer.arXiv:2609.00992v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: In this work, we develop a perturbative framework for inflation driven by a complex inflaton with non-minimal gravitational coupling and a non-Hermitian potential. During the observable cosmic microwave background radiation era, the dynamics reduce to an effectively conservative two-field model, preserving the predictions of the $alpha$-attractor class and satisfying Planck 2018 and BICEP/Keck constraints on $n_s$, $r$, and $f_{mathrm{NL}}$. Near the end of inflation, trajectory bending activates the non-Hermitian sector, triggering geometric reheating. The resulting non-unitary evolution modifies the curvature spectrum and stochastic gravitational-wave background through a calculable damping factor determined by the complex mass eigenvalues. While cosmic microwave background-scale observables remain essentially unchanged, a distinctive suppression emerges in the high-frequency gravitational-wave spectrum ($f > 10^2$ Hz), potentially testable by future detectors such as the Einstein Telescope and the Big Bang Observer.