The Powers of Monodromy
  Flux couplings to string theory axions yield super-Planckian field ranges
along which the axion potential energy grows. At the same time, other aspects
of the physics remain essentially unchanged along these large displacements,
respecting a discrete shift symmetry with a sub-Planckian period. After a
general overview of this monodromy effect and its application to large-field
inflation, we present new classes of specific models of monodromy inflation,
with monomial potentials $\mu^{4-p}\phi^p$. A key simplification in these
models is that the inflaton potential energy plays a leading role in moduli
stabilization during inflation. The resulting inflaton-dependent shifts in the
moduli fields lead to an effective flattening of the inflaton potential, i.e. a
reduction of the exponent from a fiducial value $p_0$ to $p<p_0$. We focus on
examples arising in compactifications of type IIB string theory on products of
tori or Riemann surfaces, where the inflaton descends from the NS-NS two-form
potential $B_2$, with monodromy induced by a coupling to the R-R field strength
$F_1$. In this setting we exhibit models with $p=2/3,4/3,2,$ and $3$,
corresponding to predictions for the tensor-to-scalar ratio of $r\approx 0.04,
0.09, 0.13,$ and $0.2$, respectively. Using mirror symmetry, we also motivate a
second class of examples with the role of the axions played by the real parts
of complex structure moduli, with fluxes inducing monodromy.
