Squared quartic hilltop inflation

A correction to the quartic hilltop inflationary model is proposed to account for stabilizing terms in the potential. We derive analytical predictions for the spectral index ns and tensor-scalar ratio r which lie within the Planck 2018 survey bounds. The reheating predictions of the corrected model are investigated and by considering the reheating temperature we further constrain the ons; r thorn parameter space. It is shown that the correction terms are physically important during inflation and generally need to be accounted for when considering hilltop models as a candidate for inflation.

Automated summary

A correction to the quartic hilltop inflationary model is proposed to stabilize terms in the potential, leading to analytical predictions within Planck 2018 survey bounds. Reheating predictions of the corrected model are investigated and further constraints on the parameter space are imposed by considering the reheating temperature. The importance of correction terms during inflation is highlighted, emphasizing the necessity of accounting for them in hilltop inflation models.