Higgs xi-inflation for the 125-126 GeV Higgs: a two-loop analysis
  A non-minimal coupling xi of the Standard Model Higgs field to gravity can
give rise to inflation, but large xi is required and thus leads to a violation
of perturbative unitarity at Mp/xi, which is well below the inflationary scale
Mp/sqrt(xi). We re-examine this claim for a Higgs mass in the range 125-126 GeV
for which lambda_eff(mu) runs to very small values near the Planck scale and
can significantly reduce the value of xi required for inflation. Using the
two-loop renormalization group equations and effective potential for Higgs
xi-inflation, we find that familiar inflationary solutions can have a
non-minimal coupling as small as xi ~ 400 without the potential developing a
second minimum. We also find a new observationally allowed region of Higgs
xi-inflation with xi ~ 90 and distinct inflationary predictions, including an
observable level of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r.
