Axion models with high scale inflation

We revisit the cosmological aspects of axion models. In the high-scale inflation scenario, the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is likely to be restored during/after inflation. If the curvature of the PQ scalar potential at the origin is smaller than its vacuum expectation value; for instance in a class of SUSY axion models, thermal inflation happens before the radial component of the PQ scalar (saxion) relaxes into the global minimum of the potential and the decay of saxion coherent oscillation would produce too much axion dark radiation. In this paper, we study how to avoid the overproduction of axion dark radiation with some concrete examples. We show that, by taking account of the finite-temperature dissipation effect appropriately, the overproduction constraint can be relaxed since the PQ scalar can take part in the thermal plasma again even after the PQ phase transition. We also show that it can be further relaxed owing to the late time decay of another heavy CP-odd scalar, if it is present

Curvaton dynamics revisited

We revisit the dynamics of the curvaton in detail taking account of effects from thermal environment, effective potential and decay/dissipation rate for general field values and couplings. We also consider the curvature perturbation generated through combinations of various effects: large scale modulation of the oscillation epoch, the effective dissipation rate and the timing at which the equation of state changes. In particular, we find that it tends to be difficult to explain the observed curvature perturbation by the curvaton mechanism without producing too large non-Gaussianity if the curvaton energy density is dissipated through thermal effects. In particular, we find that if the renormalizable coupling between the curvaton and light elements is larger than the critical value ∼ (mϕ/Mpl)1/2, the curvaton is soon dissipated away almost regardless of its initial energy density, contrary to the standard perturbative decay. Therefore, the interaction between them should be suppressed in order for the curvaton to survive the thermal dissipation

Dark matter chaotic inflation in light of BICEP2

We propose an economical model in which a singlet 2-odd scalar field accounts for the primordial inflation and the present dark matter abundance simultaneously in the light of recent BICEP2 result. Interestingly, the reheating temperature and the thermal dark matter abundance are closely connected by the same interaction between the singlet scalar and the standard model Higgs. In addition, the reheating temperature turns out to be quite high, TR???1012?GeV, and hence the thermal leptogenesis is compatible with this model. Therefore, it can be one of the simplest cosmological scenarios