Do metric fluctuations affect the Higgs dynamics during inflation?
File(s)Markkanen_2017_J._Cosmol._Astropart._Phys._2017_026.pdf (359.7 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Markkanen, TT
Rajantie, AK
Nurmi, ST
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We show that the dynamics of the Higgs field during inflation is not affected by metric fluctuations if the Higgs is an energetically subdominant light spectator. For Standard Model parameters we find that couplings between Higgs and metric fluctuations are suppressed by Script O(10−7). They are negligible compared to both pure Higgs terms in the effective potential and the unavoidable non-minimal Higgs coupling to background scalar curvature. The question of the electroweak vacuum instability during high energy scale inflation can therefore be studied consistently using the Jordan frame action in a Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric, where the Higgs-curvature coupling enters as an effective mass contribution. Similar results apply for other light spectator scalar fields during inflation.
Date Issued
2017-12-12
Date Acceptance
2017-11-24
Citation
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2017, 2017
ISSN
1475-7516
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Volume
2017
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd on behalf of Sissa Medialab. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Sponsor
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Grant Number
ST/L00044X/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Physics, Particles & Fields
Physics
particle physics - cosmology connection
quantumfield theory on curved space
ELECTROWEAK VACUUM
STANDARD MODEL
EINSTEIN FRAMES
EQUIVALENCE
JORDAN
METASTABILITY
FIELD
hep-ph
astro-ph.CO
gr-qc
0201 Astronomical And Space Sciences
0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle And Plasma Physics
Nuclear & Particles Physics
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
026