Triple unification of inflation, dark matter, and dark energy using a single field

TL;DR

This paper proposes a unified model where a single scalar field drives inflation, acts as dark matter, and contributes to dark energy, using a quadratic potential and thermal inflation to match observations.

Contribution

It introduces a scenario unifying inflation, dark matter, and dark energy with a single field within the string landscape framework, using a quadratic potential and thermal inflation.

Findings

The model achieves the correct dark matter density after inflation.

It incorporates a non-zero vacuum energy to account for dark energy.

The scenario is consistent with existing cosmological observations.

Abstract

We construct an explicit scenario whereby the same material driving inflation in the early Universe can comprise dark matter in the present Universe, using a simple quadratic potential. Following inflation and preheating, the density of inflaton/dark matter particles is reduced to the observed level by a period of thermal inflation, of a duration already invoked in the literature for other reasons. Within the context of the string landscape, one can further argue for a non-zero vacuum energy of this field, thus unifying inflation, dark matter and dark energy into a single fundamental field.