Nonperturbative dynamics of reheating after inflation: A review

2014/12/05 by Mustafa A. Amin, Mark P. Hertzberg, David Kaiser +2 · 26 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

paper · doi:10.1142/s0218271815300037

openalex publication_date 2014/12/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Our understanding of the state of the universe between the end of inflation and big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is incomplete. The dynamics at the end of inflation are rich and a potential source of observational signatures. Reheating, the energy transfer between the inflaton and Standard Model fields (possibly through intermediaries) and their subsequent thermalization, can provide clues to how inflation fits in with known high-energy physics. We provide an overview of our current understanding of the nonperturbative, nonlinear dynamics at the end of inflation, some salient features of realistic particle physics models of reheating, and how the universe reaches a thermal state before BBN. In addition, we review the analytical and numerical tools available in the literature to study preheating and reheating and discuss potential observational signatures from this fascinating era.

Citations

• TASI Lectures on Inflation
• Inflaton fragmentation: Emergence of pseudo-stable inflaton lumps (oscillons) after inflation
• Quantum Fields in Curved Space
• Non-Gaussianity from inflation: theory and observations

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• New Aspects of Reheating
• Preheating and Reheating after Standard Inflation
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