Simplified smooth inflation with observable gravity waves.

We consider a simplified version of supersymmetric smooth hybrid inflation which contains a single ultraviolet cutoff mP = 2.4 × 1018 GeV, instead of the two cutoffs mP and M* ∼ few × 1017 GeV that are normally employed. With global supersymmetry the scalar spectral index ns ≃ 0.97, which is in very good agreement with the WMAP observations. With a nonminimal Kahler potential, the supergravity version of the model is compatible with the current central values of ns and also yields potentially observable gravity waves (tensor to scalar ratio r ≲ 0.02). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]