The c‐map,Tits Satake subalgebras and the search for inflaton potentials

In this paper we address the general problem of including inflationary models exhibiting Starobinsky‐like potentials into (symmetric) supergravities. This is done by gauging suitable abelian isometries of the hypermultiplet sector and then truncating the resulting theory to a single scalar field. By using the characteristic properties of the global symmetry groups of the supergravities we are able to make a general statement on the possible α‐attractor models which can obtained upon truncation. We find that in symmetric models group theoretical constraints restrict the allowed values of the parameter α to be . This confirms and generalizes results recently obtained in the literature. Our analysis heavily relies on the mathematical structure of symmetric supergravities, in particular on the so called c‐map connection between Quaternionic Kähler manifolds starting from Special Kähler ones. A general statement on the possible consistent truncations of the gauged models, leading to Starobinsky‐like potentials, requires the essential help of Tits Satake universality classes. The paper is mathematically self‐contained and aims at presenting the involved mathematical structures to a public not only of physicists but also of mathematicians. To this end the main mathematical structures and the general gauging procedure of supergravities is reviewed in some detail.