暴胀子（英语：inflaton）是假设和迄今仍不明的纯量场 (和它的相关粒子)，它可能是造成与负责宇宙非常早期假设的暴胀粒子。依据暴胀理论，暴胀场提供的机制导致在大爆炸之后的空间，从10至10 秒期间的快速扩胀。

暴胀场的最低能量状态可能或不可能是零能量状态，这取决于该场所选择的潜在能量密度。在扩张时期之前，暴胀场在较高的能量状态。随机量子波动引起的相变，凭着暴胀场释放出它的位能如同物质和辐射，使它维持着最低能量状态。这种活动引发一种斥力，驱使一部分的宇宙，也就是我们今天所谓可观测宇宙的膨胀，从近似于10 米的半径在10 秒至10 秒暴胀至几乎1米的半径。

The inflaton is a hypothetical scalar field that is supposed to be responsible for cosmic inflation in the very early universe. A quantized particle for this field is expected, similar to other quantum fields, called an inflaton (see Inflation (cosmology)). The field provides a mechanism by which a period of rapid expansion from 10 to 10 seconds after the initial expansion can be generated, forming the universe.