Higgs Inflation as Nonlinear Sigma Model and Scalaron as its $\sigma$-meson

We point out that a model with scalar fields with a large nonminimal coupling to the Ricci scalar, such as Higgs inflation, can be regarded as a nonlinear sigma model (NLSM). With the inclusion of not only the scalar fields but also the conformal mode of the metric, our definition of the target space of the NLSM is invariant under the frame transformation. We show that the $\sigma$-meson that linearizes this NLSM to be a linear sigma model (LSM) corresponds to the scalaron, the degree of freedom associated to the $R^2$ term in the Jordan frame. We demonstrate that quantum corrections inevitably induce this $\sigma$-meson in the large-$N$ limit, thus providing a frame independent picture for the emergence of the scalaron. The resultant LSM only involves renormalizable interactions and hence its perturbative unitarity holds up to the Planck scale unless it hits a Landau pole, which is in agreement with the renormalizability of quadratic gravity.