MODULI INFLATION WITH LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE PRODUCED BY TOPOLOGICAL DEFECTS

It is tempting to inflate along one of the many flat directions that a rise in supersymmetric theories. The required flatness of the potentia l to obtain sufficient inflation and to not overproduce density fluctu ations occurs naturally. However, the density perturbations (in the ca se of a single moduli field) that arise from inflation quantum fluctua tions are too small for structure formation. Here we propose that topo logical defects (such as cosmic strings), which arise during a phase t ransition near the end of moduli inflation can provide an alternative source of structure. The strings produced will be ''fat,'' yet have th e usual evolution by the time of nucleosynthesis. Possible models are discussed.