Classical inflaton field induced creation of superheavy dark matter

1998/09/23 by Daniel J. H. Chung · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Context (archaeology) #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark energy #Dark matter #Field (mathematics) #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Hubble's law #Inflation (cosmology) #Inflaton #Mathematical physics #Particle physics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Scalar field #Theoretical physics #astro-ph #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.67.083514

published as Phys.Rev. D67 (2003) 083514 · 42 page LaTeX file with 8 PostScript figures included with epsf

arxiv created 1998/09/23 · openalex publication_date 2003/04/24 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We calculate analytically and numerically the production of superheavy dark matter (scalar field X) when it is coupled to the inflaton field \ensuremathφ within the context of a slow-roll m_\ensuremathφ²\ensuremathφ²/2 inflationary model with coupling g²X²\ensuremathφ²/2. We find that X particles with a mass as large as 1000H_i, where H_i is the value of the Hubble expansion rate at the end of inflation, can be produced in sufficient abundance to be cosmologically significant today. This means that superheavy dark matter may have a mass of up to 10^\ensuremath-3M_Pl. We also derive a simple formula that can be used to estimate particle production as a result of a quantum field's interaction with a general class of homogeneous classical fields. Finally, we note that the combined effect of the inflaton field and the gravitational field on the X field causes the production to be a nonmonotonic function of g².

Citations

• Grand-Unified-Theory Baryogenesis after Preheating
• The Origin of Matter in the Universe: Reheating after Inflation
• Quantum Fields in Curved Space
• The Universe after inflation: the wide resonance case
• Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Baryon Density of the Universe
• Particle Physics Models of Inflation and the Cosmological Density Perturbation
• Towards the theory of reheating after inflation
• Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, superheavy long-lived particles, and matter creation after inflation
• Quantized Fields and Particle Creation in Expanding Universes. I

Cited by

• Superheavy dark matter from the natural inflation in light of the highest-energy astroparticle events
• Impact of Higgs portal on gravity-mediated production of superheavy dark matter