Modelling Quintessential Inflation in Palatini Modified Gravity
  We study a model of quintessential inflation constructed in $R^2$ modified
gravity with a non-minimally coupled scalar field, in the Palatini formalism.
Our non-minimal inflaton field is characterised by a simple exponential
potential. We find that successful quintessential inflation can be achieved
with no fine-tuning on the model parameters. Predictions on the characteristics
of dark energy will be tested by observations in the near future, while
contrast with existing observations provides insights on the modified gravity
background, such as the value of the non-minimal coupling and its running.
