Electroweak relaxation of cosmological hierarchy

TL;DR

This paper proposes a model where the Starobinsky inflation framework, combined with electroweak symmetry breaking and a nonminimal Higgs coupling, explains late-time cosmic acceleration without fine-tuning, linking the hierarchy and cosmological constant problems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach connecting electroweak hierarchy and cosmological constant issues within a Starobinsky inflation context, compatible with swampland criteria.

Findings

Achieves observed dark energy density without fine-tuning.

Provides a late-time thawing quintessence scenario.

Aligns with swampland criteria.

Abstract

A simple model for the late-time cosmic acceleration problem is presented in the Starobinsky inflation with a negative bare cosmological constant as well as a nonminimal coupling to the Higgs boson. After electroweak symmetry breaking, the Starobinsky inflaton has been frozen until very recently, becoming a thawing quintessence, and a comparable magnitude to the observed dark energy density can be achieved without fine-tuning. Our proposal essentially reduces the cosmological constant problem into the electroweak hierarchy problem, and its late-time behaviour is also consistent with the recently proposed swampland criteria.