Nonsingular Cosmology from an Unstable Higgs Field

TL;DR

This paper proposes using the Higgs field's instability to create a non-singular bouncing cosmology, potentially resolving anisotropy issues in early universe models by leveraging string theory concepts like S-branes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism where Higgs instability drives a nonsingular bounce, integrating string theory elements to address cosmological singularities.

Findings

Higgs instability can induce an Ekpyrotic contraction phase.

String theory S-branes facilitate a smooth transition from contraction to expansion.

The model mitigates anisotropy problems in bouncing cosmologies.

Abstract

The observed value of the Higgs mass indicates an instability of the Higgs scalar at large energy scales, and hence also at large field values. In the context of early universe cosmology, this is often considered to lead to problems. Here we point out that we can use the instability of the Higgs field to generate an Ekpyrotic phase of contraction. In the context of string theory it is possible that at very high energy densities extra states become massless, leading to an S-brane which leads to the transition between a contracting phase in the past and the current expanding phase. Thus, the Higgs field can be used to generate a non-singular bouncing cosmology in which the anisotropy problem of usual bouncing scenarios is mitigated.