English

Unitary inflaton as decaying dark matter

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2019-10-31 v4

Abstract

We consider the inflation model of a singlet scalar field (sigma field) with both quadratic and linear non-minimal couplings where unitarity is ensured up to the Planck scale. We assume that a Z2Z_2 symmetry for the sigma field is respected by the scalar potential in Jordan frame but it is broken explicitly by the linear non-minimal coupling due to quantum gravity. We discuss the impacts of the linear non-minimal coupling on various dynamics from inflation to low energy, such as a sizable tensor-to-scalar ratio, a novel reheating process with quartic potential dominance, and suppressed physical parameters in the low energy, etc. In particular, the linear non-minimal coupling leads to the linear couplings of the sigma field to the Standard Model through the trace of the energy-momentum tensor in Einstein frame. Thus, regarding the sigma field as a decaying dark matter, we consider the non-thermal production mechanisms for dark matter from the decays of Higgs and inflaton condensate and show the parameter space that is compatible with the correct relic density and cosmological constraints.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1902.03781,
  title  = {Unitary inflaton as decaying dark matter},
  author = {Soo-Min Choi and Yoo-Jin Kang and Hyun Min Lee and Kimiko Yamashita},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.03781},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

36 pages, 7 figures, v2: minor corrections made and references added, v3: discussion on preheating added, accepted for Journal of High Energy Physics, v4: Lyman-alpha bound included and inflationary predictions refined for perturbative reheating

R2 v1 2026-06-23T07:37:22.854Z