the energy scale $\langle \Sigma \rangle$, which we will see is determined from gauge coupling unification as $$\langle \Sigma \rangle \sim 10^{16}\mbox{--}10^{17}~{\rm GeV},
\label{eq:VEV-Sigma}$$ the massive vector supermultiplets containing the GUT gauge bosons decouple, and physics is well described by the low-energy supersymmetric gauge theory with the SM gauge group $SU(3)_{\rm C} \times SU(2)_{\rm L} 
\times U(1)_{\rm Y}$. An important property of the superpotential in Eq. (\[eq:W\_eff\]) with Eq. (\[eq:orders\]) is that because of the overall $\tilde{m}$ factor, the masses of the uneaten components of $\Sigma$—$\Sigma_8({\bf 8}, {\bf 1})_0$, $\Sigma_3({\bf 1}, {\bf 3})_0$, and $\Sigma_1({\bf 1}, {\bf 1})_0$ where the numbers represent the SM gauge quantum numbers—are at the intermediate scale: $$M_{\Sigma_8} \sim M_{\Sigma_3} \sim M_{\Sigma_1} \sim O(\tilde{m}),
\label{eq:intermed-Sigma}$$ where superpartners of the Supersymmetric Standard Model (SSM) exist [@Hall:2013eko]. This potentially has cosmological implications. For example, if the Hubble parameter during inflation is large $H_I > 
\tilde{m}$, as suggested by the recent BICEP2 observation [@Ade:2014xna], then depending on the dynamics during inflation (e.g. the sign of the Hubble induced mass-squared for $\Sigma$), the GUT symmetry may be recovered during inflation, which would lead to unwanted monopole production after inflation. Below, we assume that such symmetry recovery does not occur.

In 