Coupling first-order phase transitions to curvature-squared inflation

Abstract
A new way to couple first-order phase transitions to inflation is proposed. The mechanism, dubbed getaway inflation, bypasses the problem of the "graceful exit" by letting the inflationary phase of the background have a classical end. At the same time, a stage of bubble production via semiclassical tunneling occurs, allowing speculations on the role of bubbles on the early structure formation. A realization of the proposed process is found in a nonminimally coupled higher-order gravity theory which by itself deserves further investigation.

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