Inflaton

The term "inflaton" refers to a hypothetical field or particle that is proposed to be responsible for the rapid expansion of the universe during a phase of cosmic inflation. This inflationary period is thought to have occurred in the very early universe, approximately 10^-36 to 10^-32 seconds after the Big Bang. According to inflationary theory, the universe underwent an exponential expansion that smoothed out any initial irregularities and set the stage for the large-scale structure we observe today.