Inflating and Reheating the Universe with an Independent Affine Connection

TL;DR

This paper proposes that an independent affine connection component can cause cosmic inflation and reheat the universe, offering a geometric origin for the inflaton field and its decay into Higgs bosons.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism where a metric-independent affine connection drives inflation and reheats the universe through its decay into Higgs bosons.

Findings

Affine connection component can drive inflation consistent with observations.

Decay of the affine connection field can reheat the universe to high temperatures.

Provides a geometric origin for the inflaton field.

Abstract

It is shown that a component of the dynamical affine connection, which is independent of the metric, can drive inflation in agreement with observations. This provides a geometrical origin for the inflaton. It is also found that the decays of this field, which has spin 0 and odd parity, into Higgs bosons can reheat the universe up to a sufficiently high temperature.