Kink instability and stabilization of the Friedmann universe with scalar fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability of flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with scalar fields, discovering a new kink instability in certain conditions and analyzing its implications for cosmological models.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of kink instability in flat FRW universes with scalar fields and explores conditions under which it occurs or is suppressed.

Findings

Kink instability develops with massless scalar fields.

Steep exponential potentials lead to kink instability.

Assisted inflation with multiple scalar fields remains stable.

Abstract

The evolution of weak discontinuity is investigated in the flat FRW universe with a single scalar field and with multiple scalar fields. We consider both massless scalar fields and scalar fields with exponential potentials. Then we find that a new type of instability, i.e. kink instability develops in the flat FRW universe with massless scalar fields. The kink instability develops with scalar fields with considerably steep exponential potentials, while less steep exponential potentials do not suffer from kink instability. In particular, assisted inflation with multiple scalar fields does not suffer from kink instability. The stability of general spherically symmetric self-similar solutions is also discussed.