From Cosmic Inflation and Matter Creation to Dark Matter -- Journey of the Inflaton?

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive model tracing the inflaton's evolution from cosmic inflation through matter creation to its potential role in dark matter and dark energy, aligning with current cosmological observations.

Contribution

It introduces a hilltop inflaton model that connects inflation, matter creation, and dark matter, providing a unified scenario consistent with CMB data.

Findings

Model predictions align with current CMB limits.

The inflaton evolution can explain dark matter abundance.

The potential can be extended to complete the inflationary hill.

Abstract

A scenario of the inflaton evolution from cosmic inflation and matter creation to dark matter/dark energy today is presented. To start with, a model of the inflationary phase of the inflaton is introduced. The inflaton rolls down a hilltop potential along with matter creation being dragged down by the presence of matter. Presence of matter provides a mechanism to stop universe's acceleration and hence the inflationary phase. The model predictions for the standard metrics are fully consistent with the current CMB limits. The potential could in principle be extended to complete a potential hill subsequent to inflation. The evolution of the inflaton from the inflationary phase to radiation/matter dominated eras and to current times can be inferred qualitatively following the evolution of its equation of state parameter. Existence of solutions to its dynamics, tracking matter as it evolves to current times, provides a plausible reasoning for the relative order of magnitudes of the cosmological parameters, in particular to the relative abundance of dark matter today.