Dynamics of Electroweak Gauge Fields during and after Higgs Inflation

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior of electroweak gauge fields during and after Higgs inflation, revealing their topological properties, growth due to parametric resonance, and the generation of sizable magnetic fields.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of gauge field dynamics, including topological features and magnetic field generation, during and after Higgs inflation, which was not previously explored.

Findings

Gauge fields remain topologically non-trivial during inflation.

Gauge fields grow significantly due to parametric resonance after inflation.

Sizable magnetic fields are generated post-inflation, influenced by inflation-era anisotropy.

Abstract

We study the dynamics of $SU(2)_L$ times $U(1)_Y$ electroweak gauge fields during and after Higgs inflation. In particular, we investigate configurations of the gauge fields during inflation and find the gauge fields remain topologically non-trivial. We also find that the gauge fields grow due to parametric resonances caused by oscillations of a Higgs field after inflation. We show that the Chern-Simons number also grows significantly. Interestingly, the parametric amplification gives rise to sizable magnetic fields after the inflation whose final amplitudes depend on the anisotropy survived during inflation.