The Standard Model Higgs Boson-Inflaton and Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper explores the role of the Higgs boson as the inflaton in early universe inflation models, its interactions with dark matter, and the resulting cosmological constraints that influence Higgs mass predictions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the Higgs boson can act as the inflaton with a large non-minimal coupling and derives cosmological bounds on Higgs and dark matter interactions, impacting collider predictions.

Findings

Cosmological constraints can be more restrictive than vacuum stability bounds.

Higgs mass values compatible with cosmology can be within LHC reach.

Stronger Higgs-dark matter couplings allow lower Higgs masses.

Abstract

The standard model Higgs boson can serve as the inflaton field of slow roll inflationary models provided it exhibits a large non-minimal coupling with the gravitational scalar curvature. The Higgs boson self interactions and its couplings with a standard model singlet scalar serving as the source of dark matter are then subject to cosmological constraints. These bounds, which can be more stringent than those arising from vacuum stability and perturbative triviality alone, still allow values for the Higgs boson mass which should be accessible at the LHC. As the Higgs boson coupling to the dark matter strengthens, lower values of the Higgs boson mass consistent with the cosmological data are allowed.