In this paper, we shall consider an exponential inflationary model in the context of vacuum $F(R)$ gravity. By using well-known reconstruction techniques, we shall investigate which $F(R)$ gravity can realize the exponential inflation scenario at leading order in terms of the scalar curvature, and we shall calculate the slow-roll indices and the corresponding observational indices, in the context of slow-roll inflation. We also provide some general formulas of the slow-roll and the corresponding observational indices in terms of the $e$-foldings number. In addition, for the calculation of the slow-roll and of the observational indices, we shall consider quite general formulas, for which it is not necessary for the assumption that all the slow-roll indices are much smaller than unity to hold true. Finally, we investigate the phenomenological viability of the model by comparing it with the latest Planck and BICEP2/Keck-Array observational data. As we demonstrate, the model is compatible with the current observational data for a wide range of the free parameters of the model.

• Received 24 January 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.97.064001