Canonical Scalar Field Inflation with a Woods-Saxon Potential

• Main Authors: Oikonomou, V. K, Chatzarakis, N. Th
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 24-08-2019
• Subjects: Physics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics; Physics - General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology; Physics - High Energy Physics - Theory
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1908.09218

This paper focuses on the realization of an inflationary model from a
canonical scalar field theory with a Woods-Saxon potential, in the slow-roll
approximation. Our analysis indicates that the observable quantities derived
theoretically from our model, namely the spectral index of the primordial
scalar curvature perturbations and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, are compatible
with the latest Planck collaboration data. We also discuss the qualitative
features of the potential, and we show that the value of the scalar field for
which the graceful exit occurs, coincides with the inflection point of the
scalar potential. We also attempt to study the post-inflation reheating phase
of the model, in order to further examine the viability of the Woods-Saxon
scalar field model, and as we demonstrate the results indicate viability of the
model for this era too, however the instantaneous reheating is not allowed for
the model at hand.