Informal Pizza Seminar

MSSM flat direction inflation

Rouszbeh Allahverdi

Perimeter Institute

I argue that all necessary ingredients for successful inflation are present in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The potential for the supersymmetric flat directions (which can be viewed as moduli near points of enhanced symmetry) generically has metastable minima at large field values. An adjustment of soft supersymemtry breaking parameters results in a point where the first two derivatives of the potential vanish. One can then have more than 10³ e-foldings of slow roll inflation with a Hubble rate < O(GeV) in the vicinity of this point. The model yields a scalar spectral index: 0.92 < n_s < 1, which agrees with the current WMAP and LSS data within 2σ. It can be implemented within MSSM for both gravity and gauge mediation of supersymmetry breaking, or MSSM plus Dirac neutrinos. It has the unique feature of having a concrete and real connection to physics that can be observed in earthbound laboratories. A the end, I will discuss some prospects and directions for future research.