On degenerate models of cosmic inflation

In this article we discuss the role of current and future CMB measurements in pinning down the model of inflation responsible for the generation of primordial curvature perturbations. By considering a parameterization of the effective field theory of inflation with a modified dispersion relation arising from heavy fields, we derive the dependence of cosmological observables on the scale of heavy physics Λ_UV. Specifically, we show how the f_NL non-linearity parameters are related to the phase velocity of curvature perturbations at horizon exit, which is parameterized by Λ_UV. BICEP2 and PLANCK findings are shown to be consistent with a value Λ_UV ∼ Λ_GUT. However, we find a degeneracy in the parameter space of inflationary models that can only be resolved with a detailed knowledge of the shape of the non-Gaussian bispectrum.