Axion Monodromy Inflation on Warped Throats

TL;DR

The paper develops warped axion monodromy inflation by realizing an inflaton as an axion living in a warped throat, with the monodromy generated by fluxes that stabilize moduli. It provides explicit constructions in type IIB and type IIA using geometric transitions encoded by dimer diagrams, mapping the 4d axion dynamics to a holographic chain of Seiberg dualities. Warp redshift suppresses the inflaton mass relative to bulk scales, yielding a quadratic potential with a tunable scale and allowing large-field excursions via monodromy. The results connect stringy moduli stabilization to inflation, offering a local, UV-complete mechanism with predictions for the inflationary scale and potential signatures, while noting challenges in global embedding and reheating.

Abstract

Recent models of axion monodromy inflation in string theory link the inflationary potential and the moduli stabilization potential. Realistic inflationary models require mechanisms to moderately suppress the inflaton mass with respect to the moduli stabilization scale. In this paper we explore the realization of this idea using warped throats, whose redshifted infrared region supports the inflaton mode. The inflaton potential and its monodromy arise from couplings to the fluxes supporting the throat. We provide explicit realizations of such throats in type IIB with NSNS and RR 3-form field strength fluxes, and in type IIA with RR 2-form fluxes. Once embedded in a global CY, these systems would provide a mechanism to realize chaotic inflation at scales parametrically suppressed with respect to bulk physics. The construction of the throats is systematically carried out using geometric transitions in systems of D-branes at singularities, whose properties and dynamics are efficiently encoded using dimer diagrams. The holographic dual of the axion monodromy is a quasi-periodic chain of Seiberg dualities.

Figures (18)

• Figure 1: $(p,q)$ web diagram for the complex cone over $dP_3$. For clarity we show the 4- and 2-cycles as slightly blown up.
• Figure 2: a) Dimer model for phase 1 of $dP_3$. b) The corresponding quiver diagram.
• Figure 3: A few steps in the RG cascade for $dP_3$ starting with ranks $\vec{N}=N(1,1,1,1,1,1)+M(1,0,0,1,0,0)$. The pair of nodes dualized at each time is shown in pink.
• Figure 4: a) Web diagram of the complex cone over $dP_3$. b) Complex deformation showing the 2- and 3-cycles in the resulting geometry. The two ${\bf S}^3$, indicated by dashed lines, are actually homologous.
• Figure 5: a) The $dP_3$ quiver at the last step of the cascade. b) The conifold theory arises after higgsing by mesons vevs.