Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Updating GUT-scale pole Higgs inflation after ACT DR6

Constantinos Pallis*

  • *Contact author: kpallis@auth.gr

Phys. Rev. D 113, 015033 – Published 23 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/h1p2-c333

Abstract

We consider models of chaotic inflation driven by the real parts of a conjugate pair of Higgs superfields involved in the spontaneous breaking of a grand unification symmetry at a scale assuming its value within the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We combine a superpotential, which is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R symmetry, with two fractional shift-symmetric Kähler potential s introducing two free parameters (p,N). The inflationary observables provide an excellent match to the recent Atacama Cosmology Telescope data for 1.355≤p≤6.7 and 6×10−5≤N≤0.7. The attainment of inflation allows for sub-Planckian inflaton values and possibly detectable primordial gravitational waves with (p,N) values of order unity. A solution to the μ problem of MSSM and baryogenesis via nonthermal leptogenesis can be also accommodated by embedding the model into a B−L extension of the MSSM.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (87)

  1. T. Louis et al. (ACT Collaboration), The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 power spectra, likelihoods and ΛCDM parameters, arXiv:2503.14452.
  2. E. Calabrese et al. (ACT Collaboration), The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 constraints on extended cosmological models, arXiv:2503.14454.
  3. R. Kallosh, A. Linde, and D. Roest, ACT, SPT, and chaotic inflation, arXiv:2503.21030.
  4. Z. Yi, X. Wang, Q. Gao, and Y. Gong, Potential reconstruction from ACT observations leading to polynomial α-attractor, arXiv:2505.10268.
  5. M. He, M. Hong, and K. Mukaida, Increase of ns in regularized pole inflation & Einstein-Cartan gravity, arXiv:2504.16069.
  6. H. Heidarian, M. Solbi, S. Heydari, and K. Karami, α-attractor inflation modified by GUP in light of ACT observations, Phys. Lett. B 869, 139833 (2025).
  7. W. J. Wolf, Inflationary attractors and radiative corrections in light of ACT, arXiv:2506.12436.
  8. S. Choudhury, B. Gulnur, S. K. Singh, and K. Yerzanov, What new physics can we extract from inflation using the ACT DR6 and DESI DR2 Observations?, arXiv:2506.15407.
  9. Q. Gao, Y. Qian, Y. Gong, and Z. Yi, Observational constraints on inflationary models with nonminimally derivative coupling by ACT, arXiv:2506.18456.
  10. J. Han, H. M. Lee, and J. H. Song, Higgs pole inflation with loop corrections in light of ACT results, arXiv:2506.21189.
  11. R. Mondal, S. Mondal, and A. Chakraborty, Constraining reheating temperature, inflaton-SM coupling and dark matter mass in light of ACT DR6 observations, arXiv:2505.13387.
  12. L. Liu, Z. Yi, and Y. Gong, Reconciling Higgs inflation with ACT observations through reheating, arXiv:2505.02407.
  13. S. Maity, ACT-ing on inflation: Implications of non Bunch-Davies initial condition and reheating on single-field slow-roll models, arXiv:2505.10534.
  14. M. R. Haque, S. Pal, and D. Paul, ACT DR6 insights on the inflationary attractor models and reheating, arXiv:2505.01517.
  15. E. G. M. Ferreira, E. McDonough, L. Balkenhol, R. Kallosh, L. Knox, and A. Linde, The BAO-CMB tension and implications for inflation, arXiv:2507.1245.
  16. Q. Gao, Y. Gong, Z. Yi, and F. Zhang, Non-minimal coupling in light of ACT, arXiv:2504.15218.
  17. M. R. Haque and D. Maity, Minimal plateau inflation in light of ACT DR6 observations, arXiv:2505.18267.
  18. L. Y. Chen, R. Zha, and F. Y. Zhang, Probing reheating in a decaying oscillatory inflationary model with latest ACT constraints, arXiv:2508.16538.
  19. C. Dioguardi, A. J. Iovino, and A. Racioppi, Fractional attractors in light of the latest ACT observations, arXiv:2504.02809.
  20. J. McDonald, Higgs inflation with vector-like quark stabilisation and the ACT spectral index, arXiv:2505.07488.
  21. J. McDonald, Unitarity-conserving non-minimally coupled inflation and the ACT spectral index, arXiv:2506.12916.
  22. W. Yin, Higgs-like inflation under ACTivated mass, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 09 (2025) 062.
  23. C. Pallis, Kinetically modified palatini inflation meets ACT data, Phys. Lett. B 868, 139739 (2025).
  24. Z. Z. Peng, Z. C. Chen, and L. Liu, The polynomial potential inflation in light of ACT observations, arXiv:2505.12816.
  25. A. Mohammadi, Yogesh, and A. Wang, Power law plateau inflation and primary gravitational waves in the light of ACT, arXiv:2507.06544.
  26. I. D. Gialamas, A. Karam, A. Racioppi, and M. Raidal, Has ACT measured radiative corrections to the tree-level Higgs-like inflation?, arXiv:2504.06002.
  27. J. Ellis, M. A. G. García, N. Nagata, D. V. Nanopoulos, and K. A. Olive, Deformations of Starobinsky inflation in no-scale SU(5) and SO(10) GUTs, arXiv:2508.13279.
  28. I. D. Gialamas, T. Katsoulas, and K. Tamvakis, Keeping the relation between the Starobinsky model and no-scale supergravity ACTive, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 09 (2025) 060.
  29. A. Addazi, Y. Aldabergenov, and S. V. Ketov, Curvature corrections to Starobinsky inflation can explain the ACT results, Phys. Lett. B 869, 139883 (2025).
  30. Yogesh, A. Mohammadi, Q. Wu, and T. Zhu, Starobinsky like inflation and EGB gravity in the light of ACT, arXiv:2505.05363.
  31. M. R. Haque, S. Pal, and D. Paul, Improved predictions on Higgs-Starobinsky inflation and reheating with ACT DR6 and primordial gravitational waves, arXiv:2505.04615.
  32. M. Drees and Y. Xu, Refined predictions for Starobinsky inflation and post-inflationary constraints in light of ACT, Phys. Lett. B 867, 139612 (2025).
  33. W. Ahmed and M. U. Rehman, Radiatively corrected Starobinsky inflation and primordial gravitational waves in light of ACT observations, arXiv:2506.18077.
  34. J. Kim, X. Wang, Y. l. Zhang, and Z. Ren, Enhancement of primordial curvature perturbations in R3-corrected Starobinsky-Higgs inflation, arXiv:2504.12035.
  35. S. Aoki, H. Otsuka, and R. Yanagita, Higgs-modular inflation, Phys. Rev. D 112, 043505 (2025).
  36. S. Aoki, H. Otsuka, and R. Yanagita, Heavy field effects on inflationary models in light of ACT data, arXiv:2509.06739.
  37. M. U. Rehman and Q. Shafi, Supersymmetric hybrid inflation in light of Atacama Cosmology Telescope data release 6, Planck 2018 and LB-BK18, Phys. Rev. D 112, 023529 (2025).
  38. C. Pallis, F-term hybrid inflation, metastable cosmic strings and low reheating in view of ACT, in 18th International Workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe, arXiv:2504.20273.
  39. M. N. Ahmad and M. U. Rehman, Supersymmetric hybrid inflation with Kähler-induced R-symmetry breaking, arXiv:2506.23244.
  40. A. Moursy and Q. Shafi, Waterfall phase in supersymmetric hybrid inflation, arXiv:2507.10460.
  41. N. Okada and Q. Shafi, Split supersymmetry and hybrid inflation in light of Atacama Cosmology Telescope DR6 data, arXiv:2507.16246.
  42. W. Ahmed, C. Pallis, and M. Ur Rehman, GUT-scale smooth hybrid inflation with a stabilized modulus in light of ACT and SPT data, arXiv:2510.20478.
  43. R. Kallosh and A. Linde, On the present status of inflationary cosmology, Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 57, 135 (2025).
  44. Y. Akrami et al. (Planck Collaboration), Planck 2018 results. X. Constraints on inflation, Astron. Astrophys. 641, A10 (2020).
  45. P. A. R. Ade et al. (BICEP and Keck Collaborations), Improved constraints on primordial gravitational waves using Planck, WMAP, and BICEP/Keck observations through the 2018 observing season, Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 151301 (2021).
  46. A. G. Adame et al. (DESI Collaboration), DESI 2024 VI: Cosmological constraints from the measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 02 (2025) 021.
  47. C. Pallis, ACT-inspired Kähler-based inflationary attractors, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 09 (2025) 061.
  48. B. J. Broy, M. Galante, D. Roest, and A. Westphal, Pole inflation, shift symmetry and universal corrections, J. High Energy Phys. 12 (2015) 149.
  49. T. Terada, Generalized pole inflation: Hilltop, natural, and chaotic inflationary attractors, Phys. Lett. B 760, 674 (2016).
  50. T. Kobayashi, O. Seto, and T. H. Tatsuishi, Toward pole inflation and attractors in supergravity: Chiral matter field inflation, Prog. Theor. Phys. 2017, 123B04 (2017).
  51. M. Galante, R. Kallosh, A. Linde, and D. Roest, Unity of cosmological inflation attractors, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 141302 (2015).
  52. C. Pallis, Pole-induced Higgs inflation with hyperbolic Kähler potential geometries, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 05 (2021) 043.
  53. C. Pallis, T-model Higgs inflation in supergravity, HEP23, p. 73, arXiv:2307.14652.
  54. R. Kallosh, A. Linde, and D. Roest, Superconformal inflationary a-attractors, J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2013) 198.
  55. J. Ellis, D. Nanopoulos, and K. Olive, Starobinsky-like inflationary models as avatars of no-scale supergravity, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 10 (2013) 009.
  56. R. Kallosh and A. Linde, Universality class in conformal inflation, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 07 (2013) 002.
  57. S. Antusch, M. Bastero-Gil, J. P. Baumann, K. Dutta, S. F. King, and P. M. Kostka, Gauge non-singlet inflation in SUSY GUTs, J. High Energy Phys. 08 (2010) 100.
  58. M. Arai, S. Kawai, and N. Okada, Higgs inflation in minimal supersymmetric SU(5) GUT, Phys. Rev. D 84, 123515 (2011).
  59. C. Pallis and N. Toumbas, Non-minimal Higgs inflation and non-thermal leptogenesis in a supersymmetric Pati-Salam model, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 12 (2011) 002.
  60. K. Nakayama and F. Takahashi, PeV-scale supersymmetry from new inflation, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 05 (2012) 035.
  61. M. B. Einhorn and D. R. T. Jones, GUT scalar potentials for Higgs inflation, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 11 (2012) 049.
  62. G. Lazarides and C. Pallis, Shift symmetry and Higgs inflation in supergravity with observable gravitational waves, J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2015) 114.
  63. C. Pallis, Gravitational waves, μ term & leptogenesis from B−L Higgs inflation in supergravity, Universe 4, 13 (2018).
  64. C. Pallis and Q. Shafi, Induced-gravity GUT-scale Higgs inflation in supergravity, Eur. Phys. J. C 78, 523 (2018).
  65. C. Pallis, T-model Higgs inflation and metastable cosmic strings, J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2025) 178.
  66. P. Creminelli, D. López Nacir, M. Simonović, G. Trevisan, and M. Zaldarriaga, Detecting primordial B-modes after Planck, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 11 (2015) 031.
  67. G. R. Dvali, G. Lazarides, and Q. Shafi, Mu problem and hybrid inflation in supersymmetric SU(2)L×SU(2)R×U(1)B−L, Phys. Lett. B 424, 259 (1998).
  68. G. Lazarides and Q. Shafi, Origin of matter in inflationary cosmology, Phys. Lett. B 258, 305 (1991).
  69. M. Drees and Y. Xu, Parameter space of leptogenesis in polynomial inflation, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 04 (2024) 036.
  70. X. Zhang, Towards a systematic study of non-thermal leptogenesis from inflaton decays, J. High Energy Phys. 05 (2024) 147.
  71. M. Bolz, A. Brandenburg, and W. Buchmuller, Thermal production of gravitinos, Nucl. Phys. B606, 518 (2001); B790, 336(E) (2008).
  72. M. Kawasaki, K. Kohri, T. Moroi, and Y. Takaesu, Revisiting big-bang nucleosynthesis constraints on long-lived decaying particles, Phys. Rev. D 97, 023502 (2018).
  73. C. Pallis and N. Toumbas, Starobinsky-type inflation with products of Kähler manifolds, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 05 (2016) 015.
  74. S. Ferrara, R. Kallosh, A. Linde, A. Marrani, and A. Van Proeyen, Superconformal symmetry, NMSSM, and inflation, Phys. Rev. D 83, 025008 (2011).
  75. L. Kofman, A. D. Linde, and A. A. Starobinsky, Towards the theory of reheating after inflation, Phys. Rev. D 56, 3258 (1997).
  76. J. Garcia-Bellido, D. G. Figueroa, and J. Rubio, Preheating in the standard model with the Higgs-inflaton coupled to gravity, Phys. Rev. D 79, 063531 (2009).
  77. G. N. Felder, L. Kofman, and A. D. Linde, Instant preheating Phys. Rev. D 59, 123523 (1999).
  78. C. Pallis, Cold dark matter in non-standard cosmologies, PAMELA, ATIC and Fermi LAT, Nucl. Phys. B751, 129 (2006).
  79. M. A. G. Garcia, K. Kaneta, Y. Mambrini, and K. A. Olive, Inflaton oscillations and post-inflationary reheating, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 04 (2021) 012.
  80. S. Davidson and A. Ibarra, A lower bound on the right-handed neutrino mass from leptogenesis, Phys. Lett. B 535, 25 (2002).
  81. I. Esteban, M. C. Gonzalez-Garcia, M. Maltoni, I. Martinez-Soler, J. P. Pinheiro, and T. Schwetz, NuFit-6.0: Updated global analysis of three-flavor neutrino oscillations, J. High Energy Phys. 12 (2024) 216.
  82. N. Karagiannakis, G. Lazarides, and C. Pallis, Probing the hyperbolic branch/focus point region of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model with generalized Yukawa quasiunification, Phys. Rev. D 92, 085018 (2015).
  83. P. Athron et al. (GAMBIT Collaboration), Global fits of GUT-scale SUSY models with GAMBIT, Eur. Phys. J. C 77, 824 (2017).
  84. I. Khan, A. Muhammad, T. Li, and S. Raza, Revisiting the electroweak supersymmetry from the generalized minimal supergravity, arXiv:2506.18442.
  85. R. L. Workman et al. (Particle Data Group), Review of particle physics, Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2022, 083C01 (2022).
  86. M. S. Turner, Coherent scalar-field oscillations in an expanding Universe, Phys. Rev. D 28, 1243 (1983).
  87. C. M. Lin, On the oscillations of the inflaton field of the simplest α-attractor T-model, Chin. J. Phys. (Taipei) 86, 323 (2023).

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation