In the weakly coupled regime of a four-derivative scalar-tensor theory, large inflationary inhomogeneities decay just as in general relativity, and only finely tuned initial data can escape the effective field theory's range of validity.
Gauss-Bonnet Inflation
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abstract
We consider an Einstein-Scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravitational theory, and argue that at early times the Ricci scalar can be safely ignored. We then demonstrate that the pure scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory, with a quadratic coupling function, naturally supports inflationary -- de Sitter -- solutions. During inflation, the scalar field decays exponentially and its effective potential remains always bounded. The theory contains also solutions where these de Sitter phases possess a natural exit mechanism and are replaced by linearly expanding -- Milne -- phases.
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Inflaton Dynamics in Higher-Derivative Scalar-Tensor Theories of Gravity
In the weakly coupled regime of a four-derivative scalar-tensor theory, large inflationary inhomogeneities decay just as in general relativity, and only finely tuned initial data can escape the effective field theory's range of validity.