An O(750) GeV Resonance and Inflation

TL;DR

This paper explores whether a heavy scalar or pseudoscalar, potentially responsible for the 750 GeV diphoton excess, could serve as the inflaton, linking collider signals with early universe inflation within minimalistic models.

Contribution

It presents two perturbative models with stabilized vacua up to near the Planck scale, connecting the 750 GeV resonance to Higgs inflation scenarios.

Findings

Models remain perturbative up to near the Planck scale.

The new scalar can couple to gauge bosons via vectorlike fermions.

Inflationary features compatible with the Standard Model are preserved.

Abstract

We study the possibility of a heavy scalar or pseudoscalar in TeV-scale beyond the Standard Model scenarios being the inflaton of the early universe in light of the recent O(750) GeV diphoton excess at the LHC. We consider a scenario in which the new scalar or pseudoscalar couples to the Standard Model gauge bosons at the loop level through new massive Standard Model charged vectorlike fermions with or without dark fermions. We calculate the renormalization group running of both the Standard Model and the new scalar couplings, and present two different models that are perturbative and with a stabilized vacuum up to near the Planck scale. Thus, the Standard Model Higgs and this possible new resonance may still preserve the minimalist features of Higgs inflation.