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The UV Sensitivity of Axion Monodromy Inflation

by Enrico Pajer, Dong-Gang Wang, Bowei Zhang

Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Dong-Gang Wang
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202506_00054v1  (pdf)
Date submitted: June 28, 2025, 4:38 p.m.
Submitted by: Dong-Gang Wang
Submitted to: SciPost Physics
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Gravitation, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
  • High-Energy Physics - Theory
Approaches: Theoretical, Phenomenological

Abstract

We revisit axion monodromy inflation in the context of UV-inspired models and point out that its cosmological observables are sensitive to heavy fields with masses far above the Hubble scale, such as the moduli of flux compactifications. By studying a string-inspired two-field extension of axion monodromy with a small turning rate, we reveal that the oscillatory modulation of the axion potential leads to continuous excitation of heavy fields during inflation when the modulation frequency exceeds the field masses. This finding challenges the conventional single-field description, heavy moduli cannot be simply integrated out. Using a full bootstrap analysis, we demonstrate that this mechanism produces cosmological collider signals that bypass the usual Boltzmann suppression for heavy masses. Specifically, we identify detectably large signatures of heavy moduli in the primordial bispectrum, offering a promising avenue for probing high-energy physics through cosmological observations.

Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations

  • Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
  • Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
  • Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
  • Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block
Current status:
Awaiting resubmission

Reports on this Submission

Report #2 by Anonymous (Referee 2) on 2025-12-13 (Contributed Report)

Strengths

  1. Clear physical point: periodic modulations introduce a high-frequency scale that can invalidate the usual “integrate out heavy moduli” logic when the modulation frequency competes with the modulus mass.
  2. Concrete, string-motivated two-field setup (modulus-dependent kinetic term + modulated axion potential) that makes the UV-sensitivity mechanism explicit. 3.Provides analytic control of the “wiggly” background (oscillatory corrections to the inflaton/modulus evolution). 4.Phenomenology payoff: predicts an oscillatory squeezed-limit bispectrum (resonant-collider type) that could motivate targeted searches

Weaknesses

1.Key perturbation/bispectrum derivations rely heavily on a companion paper, so the Letter is less self-contained than ideal for its central claims.
2.The regime ω ≳ m raises backreaction/consistency questions (energy in the excited modulus, maintenance of slow roll, stability) that are not fully quantified in the main text.
3.Simplifying assumptions (e.g., neglected UV couplings that could also induce oscillatory corrections to moduli properties) could affect the generality/robustness of the effect and deserve sharper justification.
4.Observational viability is only sketched (constraints are mentioned, but a clearer map of allowed parameter space and a practical full-shape template discussion would help).

Report

Recommendation
Accept after minor revisions. The paper argues that periodic modulations in axion monodromy introduce a high-frequency scale that can resonantly excite heavy moduli even when their masses are well above H, so the usual single-field “integrate out the heavy field” intuition can fail, yielding an observable squeezed-limit bispectrum with oscillatory structure

Requested changes

  1. Validity and backreaction: when ω ≳ m the heavy modulus is continuously excited; please clarify the energy budget, whether slow roll is maintained, and the conditions preventing modulus destabilization.
  2. Model assumptions: the text notes other neglected couplings that could induce oscillatory corrections to the modulus mass; please justify why omitting them does not qualitatively change the resonance/conclusions, or delineate the affected parameter range. 3.Self-contained perturbation/bispectrum evidence: since key steps are deferred to a companion paper, add at least one limiting-case cross-check (e.g., b*→0 / decoupling) or a brief roadmap of the derivation to strengthen confidence in the main bispectrum claim 4.Observational template and distinguishability: the bispectrum shows multiple oscillatory dependences; please comment on distinguishability from standard feature/resonant/collider templates and on viable parameter space once current constraints are imposed.

Recommendation

Ask for minor revision

  • validity: high
  • significance: high
  • originality: high
  • clarity: high
  • formatting: excellent
  • grammar: perfect

Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2025-7-24 (Invited Report)

Strengths

1 - This paper presents an interesting synergy between several research areas: axion monodromy motivated by UV physics leading to oscillatory couplings, enhanced cosmological collider signal in the presence of such oscillatory coupling, and observational prospect of upcoming cosmological surveys to discover the signal.

2 - The paper explains multiple theory results with reasonable clarity given its short length.

Report

The authors present an interesting case study of cosmological collider signal enhanced by oscillatory feature in the inflaton potential, in the context of axion monodromy from string theory. The feature provides another energy scale in the system, and when it is sufficiently larger than Hubble, it allows heavy particles to imprint unsuppressed signals in cosmological observables, such as the curvature perturbation bispectrum. Depending on the parameter choice, the authors show that the bispectrum could be within reach of upcoming surveys.

The authors present comprehensive calculations from first principle, derive the background trajectory of both the inflaton and the heavy modulus, analyze the turning correction to the curvature and isocurvature degrees of freedom, and finally calculate the the shape and enhanced amplitude of the bispectrum signal. While the generalities of such feature-enhanced cosmological collider signal have been studied before, as the authors have cited in [19], this paper presents a concrete realization in a theoretically well-motivated model.

I do have some questions regarding the authors' claim that they find significant oscillatory couplings in not only the linear mixing between the curvature and isocurvature modes but also the cubic interaction, unlike in [19]. The authors calculate the mixing between the curvature and isocurvature modes using the EFT of inflation approach, and finally arrive at the Lagrangian in equation (9). First of all, I think the significance of the presence of the oscillatory cubic coupling for the cosmological collider signal is not very clear, since the authors say that the enhancement of the bispectrum is as expected from the analysis of [19]. Furthermore, I currently do not agree with some of the intermediate steps made to arrive at (9), and I request that my questions listed below are addressed before considering this paper for publication.

Requested changes

1- Above equation (9), it is claimed that the dominant oscillatory cubic interaction comes from the $\dot{\lambda}\pi \dot{\pi}\sigma$ term, using $\dot{\lambda} = \omega \lambda$. However, $\lambda(t)$, being the total field velocity $\dot{\Phi}_t$ (multiplied by the turning rate $\Omega$), is dominated by $\dot{\phi}_0$ and does not satisfy $\dot{\lambda} = \omega \lambda$; I would think that it should be suppressed by the ratio $\dot{\phi}_1/\dot{\phi}_0$.

2- Regardless of whether the $\dot{\lambda}\pi \dot{\pi}\sigma$ is enhanced with respect to $\lambda (\partial_{\mu}\pi)^2\sigma$ term, $\lambda$ consists of a leading, non-oscillatory $\dot{\phi}_0$ piece and subleading, oscillatory $\dot{\phi}_1$ and $\dot{\rho}_1$ pieces, so I think the cubic vertex in (9) should have similar $\bar{g}+g_3$ structure as the linear mixing $\bar{g}+g_2$. In [19] it is shown that an oscillatory linear mixing is essential to an enhanced bispectrum, hence it is important to include the oscillatory $g_2$ coupling even though it is subleading. It should be clarified whether it is the same case for $g_3$, where the subleading oscillatory piece is important compared to the leading, non-oscillatory piece for the cosmological collider signal.

3- Moreover, given that the authors have emphasized the presence of this oscillatory cubic interaction throughout the paper as an important distinction from the results in [19], I think the effect of the oscillatory cubic vertex $g_3$ in the cosmological collider signal should be discussed more explicitly, instead of being lumped together with $g_2$.

4- In the calculation of the background field trajectory around equation (6), the estimate of the size of $\rho$ oscillation $B\simeq b_* f^2/\Lambda$ relies on $\omega$ to be greater than but close to $m$, such that $\Xi^4 = 9\omega^2 H^2 + (\omega^2-m^2)^2 \approx 9 \omega^2 H^2$ instead of $\Xi^4 \approx \omega^4$. If $\omega \gg m$, $B$ would be further suppressed by a factor of $H/\omega$. Is the need for $\omega$ to be close to $m$ important for any of the subsequent analysis and cosmological collider signal?

Recommendation

Ask for major revision

  • validity: -
  • significance: -
  • originality: -
  • clarity: -
  • formatting: -
  • grammar: -

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Comments

Anonymous on 2025-12-13  [id 6145]

The paper would benefit from a clearer, quantitative “safe parameter space” summary: a compact set of inequalities (or a small table) showing where the oscillatory excitation is large enough to generate the proposed signal, while simultaneously satisfying (i) perturbativity of the mixing interactions, (ii) control of the effective theory cutoff, and (iii) negligible backreaction on slow roll. This would make the main claim easier to assess and directly useful for readers who want to connect the bispectrum prediction to realistic UV-complete settings.