Can universe exit from phantom inflation due to gravitational back reaction?

TL;DR

This paper explores whether gravitational back reaction can halt phantom inflation, showing that it can counteract phantom energy and potentially end inflation if certain conditions are met.

Contribution

It calculates the effective energy-momentum tensor of gravitational back reaction and demonstrates its potential to terminate phantom inflation.

Findings

Gravitational back reaction opposes phantom energy effects.

Back reaction can end phantom inflation if the phantom field exceeds a critical value.

The study provides a mechanism for ending phantom inflation via gravitational effects.

Abstract

The effects of the gravitational back reaction of cosmological perturbations are investigated in a phantom inflation model. The effective energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational back reaction of cosmological perturbations whose wavelengths are larger than the Hubble radius is calculated. Our results show that the effects of gravitational back reaction will counteract that of the phantom energy. It is demonstrated in a chaotic phantom inflation model that if the phantom field at the end of inflation is larger than a critical value determined by the necessary e-folds, the phantom inflation phase might be terminated by the gravitational back reaction.