V. MSSM gauged inflatons 144 A. Inflation due to MSSM flat directions 144 1. Inflaton candidates 145 2. Inflection point inflation 146 3. Parameter space for MSSM inflation 148 4. Embedding MSSM inflation in SU (5) or SO (10) GUT 149 5. Gauged inflaton in SM × U $^{(1)$_{B}$}$− L 151 6. Inflection point inflation in gauge mediation 153 B. Quantum stability 154 1. Radiative correction 154 2. SUGRA η problem, trans-Planckian, and moduli problems 157 C. Exciting SM baryons and cold dark matter 158 D. Particle creation and thermalization 159 1. Benchmark points for MSSM inflation and dark matter abundance 162 2. Can dark matter be the inflaton? 164 E. Stochastic initial conditions for low scale inflation 166 1. Quantum fluctuations of MSSM flat directions 166 2. Inflection point as a dynamical attractor 167 3. Inflating the MSSM bubble 168 F. Other examples of gauge invariant inflatons 170 VI. Inflaton decay, reheating and thermalization 173 A. Perturbative decay and thermalization 173 B. Non-perturbative inflaton scatterings 176 1. Parametric Resonance 176 2. Instant preheating 181 3. Tachyonic preheating 182 4. Fermionic preheating 182 5. Fragmentation of the inflaton 184 6. Non-perturbative creations of gravity waves 185 7. Non-perturbative production of gauge fields 189 8. SM Higgs preheating 190 5