φ² or Not φ²: Testing the Simplest Inflationary Potential

The simplest inflationary model $V=\frac12 m^2\phi^2$ represents the benchmark for future constraints. For a quadratic potential, the quantity $(n_s-1)+r/4+11 (n_s-1)^2/24$ vanishes (up to corrections which are cubic in slow roll) and can be used to parametrize small deviations from the minimal scenario. Future constraints on this quantity will be able to distinguish a quadratic potential from a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson with $f \lesssim 30 M_{\rm pl}$ and set limits on the deviation from unity of the speed of sound $| c_s-1| \lesssim 3\times 10^{-2}$ (corresponding to an energy scale $\Lambda\gtrsim 2\times 10^{16}\, \mathrm{GeV}$), and on the contribution of a second field to perturbations ($\lesssim 6 \times 10^{-2}$). The limiting factor for these bounds will be the uncertainty on the spectral index. The error on the number of e-folds will be $\Delta N \simeq 0.4$, corresponding to an error on the reheating temperature $\Delta T_\mathrm{rh}/T_\mathrm{rh}\simeq 1.2$. We comment on the relevance of non-Gaussianity after BICEP2 results.