Spinodal Inflation

Abstract

Out-of-equilibrium, non-perturbative, quantum effects significantly modify the standard picture of inflation in a wide class of models including new, natural, and hybrid inflation. We find that the quantum evolution of a single real inflaton field may be modeled by a classical theory of two homogeneous scalar fields. We briefly discuss the important observational consequences that are expected to result.

Comments: 4 pages, 1 epsf figure