Early-Universe Cosmology in a Gauged Constant Vacuum-Mode Framework

We extend the gauged constant vacuum (GCV) framework—introduced in the companion note “Cosmological Constant and Dark Energy from a Gauged Constant Vacuum Mode (CCP_GRexact)”—to the early Universe. In this framework the strictly spacetime‑constant matter vacuum mode is gauged by a three‑/four‑form sector and does not appear in the local Einstein equations, while a single flux‑fixed Λ_eff controls the cosmological constant sector.

We embed single‑field slow‑roll inflation into this setup by splitting the inflaton potential into a constant part, sequestered into Λ_eff, and a rolling part that drives inflation. On the GR‑exact branch we show that the background dynamics and the quadratic actions for scalar and tensor perturbations match GR + inflaton, so the standard predictions for n_s and r are preserved at leading order. We then study simple toy cosmological phase transitions and track how vacuum jumps feed into the global flux constraint that fixes Λ_eff over a piecewise FRW history.

Using schematic early‑Universe histories we check consistency with BBN and CMB constraints, and we show that a long inflationary phase is compatible with a small positive Λ_eff today. Finally, we sketch how higher‑dimensional early‑time operators in the three‑/four‑form sector can induce controlled late‑time departures in the effective coupling μ(a) = ε f(a), providing a bridge to the linear‑response ϵ‑ansatz and to the model‑agnostic RulerFree AP + RSD compression of late‑time geometry and growth.

This preprint is part of a small CCP/GCV programme together with CCP_GRexact (GCV theory), CCP_DE_phenom (late‑time phenomenology and null tests), CCP_DE_step3 (linear‑response departures), a lever‑space comparison of sequestering frameworks, and the RulerFree AP+RSD compression.

Programme overview, companion notes and updates:
https://johansson.digital