A Minimal Inflation Scenario
  We elaborate on a minimal inflation scenario based entirely on the general
properties of supersymmetry breaking in supergravity models. We identify the
inflaton as the scalar component of the Goldstino superfield. We write
plausible candidates for the effective action describing this chiral
superfield. In particular the theory depends (apart from parameters of O(1)) on
a single free parameter: the scale of supersymmetry breaking. This can be fixed
using the amplitude of CMB cosmological perturbations and we therefore obtain
the scale of supersymmetry breaking to be 10^{12-14} GeV. The model also
incorporates explicit R-symmetry breaking in order to satisfy the slow roll
conditions. In our model the eta-problem is solved without extra fine-tuning.
We try to obtain as much information as possible in a model independent way
using general symmetry properties of the theory's effective action, this leads
to a new proposal on how to exit the inflationary phase and reheat the
Universe.
