Work

Topological Higgs inflation: Origin of Standard Model criticality

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: The measured values of the Higgs and top masses and of the strong gauge coupling constant point to the near-criticality of the Standard Model, where two vacua at the electroweak and Planck scales are quasidegenerate. We argue that the criticality is required by the occurrence of an eternal topological inflation induced by the Higgs potential. The role of this inflation is to continuously create a sufficiently flat and homogeneous Universe, providing the necessary initial condition for the subsequent slow-roll inflation that generates the density perturbations of the right magnitude. While the condition for the topological Higgs inflation is only marginally satisfied in the Standard Model, it can be readily satisfied if one introduces the right-handed neutrinos and/or the nonminimal coupling to gravity; currently unknown quantum gravity corrections to the potential may also help. We also discuss the $B\ensuremath{-}L$ Higgs inflation as a possible origin of the observed density perturbations. Its necessary initial condition, the restored $B\ensuremath{-}L$ symmetry, can be naturally realized by the preceding topological Higgs inflation.

Source: Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.90.097301

Authors: Yuta Hamada, Kin-ya Oda, Fuminobu Takahashi

Institutions: Kyoto University, The University of Osaka, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, Tohoku University, The University of Tokyo

Language: English

Topic: Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Inoue Foundation for Science, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science