Fundamental Forces and Scalar Field Dynamics in the Early Universe

TL;DR

This paper explores how scalar weak gravity conjectures influence early universe cosmology, revealing that scalar fields tend to fragment into lumps, which could impact cosmic evolution.

Contribution

It demonstrates a generic dynamical consequence of SWGCs, showing that scalar fields are unstable to fragmentation, affecting cosmological models.

Findings

Scalar fields develop large expectation values during inflation.

SWGCs imply instability and fragmentation of scalar fields.

Potential implications for structure formation in the universe.

Abstract

Scalar weak gravity conjectures (SWGCs) attempt to pinpoint the ranges of couplings consistent with a fundamental theory of all interactions. We identify a generic dynamical consequence of these conjectures for cosmology and show that SWGCs imply a particular behavior of the scalar fields in the early universe. A scalar field that develops a large expectation value during inflation must relax to the minimum of effective potential at a later time. SWGCs imply that a homogeneous distribution of the field is unstable with respect to fragmentation into localized lumps, which could potentially lead to significant consequences for cosmology.