Two-field high-scale inflation in a sub-Planckian region of field space

Abstract

We present a simple two-field model of inflation and show how to embed it in string theory as a straightforward generalization of axion monodromy models. Phenomenologically, the predictions are equivalent to those of chaotic inflation, and, in particular, include observably large tensor modes. The whole high-scale large-field inflationary dynamics takes place within a region of field space that is parametrically sub-Planckian in diameter, hence improving our ability to control quantum corrections and achieve slow-roll inflation.