Topological Higgs inflation: The origin of the Standard Model criticality

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the near-criticality of the Standard Model is explained by topological Higgs inflation, which creates the initial conditions for the universe's structure and connects to the origin of observed density perturbations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel topological Higgs inflation mechanism that naturally explains the Standard Model's criticality and the initial conditions for subsequent slow-roll inflation.

Findings

Topological Higgs inflation can occur with minimal extensions to the Standard Model.

This inflation provides the initial conditions for the universe's homogeneity and density perturbations.

The $B-L$ Higgs inflation can originate from preceding topological Higgs inflation.

Abstract

The measured values of the Higgs and top masses and of the strong gauge coupling constant point to the near-criticality of the Standard Model, where two vacua at the electroweak and Planck scales are quasi-degenerate. We argue that the criticality is required by the occurrence of an eternal topological inflation induced by the Higgs potential. The role of this inflation is to continuously create sufficiently flat and homogeneous Universe, providing the necessary initial condition for the subsequent slow-roll inflation that generates the density perturbations of the right magnitude. While the condition for the topological Higgs inflation is only marginally satisfied in the Standard Model, it can be readily satisfied if one introduces the right-handed neutrinos and/or the non-minimal coupling to gravity; currently unknown quantum gravity corrections to the potential may also help. We also discuss the $B-L$ Higgs inflation as a possible origin of the observed density perturbations. Its necessary initial condition, the restored $B-L$ symmetry, can be naturally realized by the preceding topological Higgs inflation.