Higgs inflation and vacuum stability

TL;DR

This paper explores whether the Higgs field could be responsible for cosmic inflation, examining the implications of vacuum stability and how Standard Model parameters relate to inflationary observations.

Contribution

It provides an overview of Higgs inflation, emphasizing the role of vacuum stability and connecting Standard Model parameters with inflationary predictions.

Findings

Higgs field can potentially drive inflation under certain conditions

Vacuum stability is crucial for the viability of Higgs inflation

Relations between Standard Model parameters and inflationary observables are analyzed

Abstract

Inflation is nowadays a well-established paradigm consistent with all the observations. The precise nature of the inflaton is however unknown and its role could be played by any candidate able to imitate a scalar condensate in the slow-roll regime. The discovery of a fundamental scalar in the LHC provides the less speculative candidate. Could the Higgs field itself be responsible for inflation? Do we really need to advocate new physics to explain the properties of the Universe at large scales? Which is the relation between the Standard Model parameters and the inflationary observables? What happens if our vacuum becomes unstable below the scale of inflation? We present an overview of Higgs inflation trying to provide answers to the previous questions with special emphasis on the vacuum stability issue.