Work

Higgs inflation: particle factory

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A bstract We study cosmological gravitational particle production (CGPP) in Higgs inflation, wherein the inflaton is a scalar field with quartic self-coupling λ and a nonminimal coupling to gravity ξ , and which may, but need not be, the Higgs boson of the Standard Model (SM). We find an explosive particle production peaked on a characteristic comoving wavenumber k ~ ξ 2 / 3 aH with a peak occupation number that scales with ξ . This new peak in production can easily dominate over the conventional (minimally coupled inflation) CGPP even for modest values of ξ . The results apply for a wide range of ξ , e.g., as low as ξ = 10, which can be realized for the Standard Model Higgs given suitable RG flow of the quartic coupling. We discuss implications for late time relics such as dark matter.

Source: Journal of High Energy Physics

DOI: 10.1007/jhep06(2026)170

Authors: Tammi Chowdhury, Leah Jenks, Edward W. Kolb, Evan McDonough

Institutions: University of Manitoba, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, The University of Winnipeg

Language: English

Topic: Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

OpenAlex ID: W7165004078

FWCI: 3.117

Cites: 81

Cited by: 1

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