a field’s uniform energy and negative pressure generate repulsive gravity—we recognize that the region the field permeates expands at a fantastic rate. This means that the inflaton field’s evolution across space is driven by two opposing processes. Quantum jitters, by tending to knock the field off its perch, decrease the amount of space suffused with high field energy. Inflationary expansion, by rapidly enlarging those domains in which the field remains perched, increases the volume of space suffused with high field energy. Which process wins?
