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arXiv · 2512.24502

Higgs-like inflation in scalar-torsion $f(T,\phi)$ gravity in light of ACT-SPT-DESI constraints

Nitesh Kumar·Giovanni Otalora·Rodrigo Reyes·Bastian Espinoza·Manuel Gonzalez-Espinoza·Emmanuel N. Saridakis
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Abstract

We study Higgs-like inflation in the framework of scalar-torsion gravity, focusing on the general class of $f(T,\phi)$ theories in which gravitation is mediated by torsion rather than curvature. Motivated by the increasing precision of cosmic microwave background and large-scale-structure observations, we examine whether Higgs-like inflation remains compatible with current data in this extended gravitational setting. Working within the slow-roll approximation, we analyze the inflationary dynamics both analytically and numerically. In the dominant-coupling regime we derive closed-form expressions for the scalar spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio as functions of the number of e-folds, and we subsequently relax this assumption by numerically solving the slow-roll equations. Confrontation with the latest constraints from Planck 2018, ACT DR6, DESI DR1, and BICEP/Keck shows that Higgs-like inflation in $f(T,\phi)$ gravity is fully consistent with current bounds, naturally accommodating the preferred shift in the scalar spectral index and leading to distinctive tensor-sector signatures.

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Nitesh Kumar, Giovanni Otalora, Rodrigo Reyes, Bastian Espinoza, Manuel Gonzalez-Espinoza, Emmanuel N. Saridakis. 2025-12-30. Higgs-like inflation in scalar-torsion $f(T,\phi)$ gravity in light of ACT-SPT-DESI constraints. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.24502

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