$ϕ^4$ inflation is not excluded

Abstract

We present counter examples to the claim that the $λϕ^4$ inflaton potential is excluded by recent cosmological data. Finding counter examples requires that the actually observed primordial fluctuations are generated at the onset of the slow-roll regime of inflation. This set up for the initial conditions is therefore different from the usual scenario of chaotic inflation where inflation starts long before the observed fluctuations are created. The primordial power spectrum of "just enough" chaotic inflation violates scale-invariance in a way consistent with observations.

Extended motivation, matches published version in Phys. Rev. D