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Non-minimal Coupling of the Higgs Boson to Curvature in an Inflationary Universe

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Ian MossORCiD

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Abstract

In the absence of new physics around 1010 GeV, the electroweak vacuum is at best metastable. This represents a major challenge for high scale inflationary models as, during the early rapid expansion of the universe, it seems difficult to understand how the Higgs vacuum would not decay to the true lower vacuum of the theory with catas- trophic consequences if inflation took place at a scale above 1010 GeV. In this paper we show that the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature could solve this problem by generating a direct coupling of the Higgs boson to the inflationary potential thereby stabilizing the electroweak vacuum. For specific values of the Higgs field initial condition and of its non-minimal coupling, inflation can drive the Higgs field to the electroweak vacuum quickly during inflation.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Calmet X, Kuntz I, Moss IG

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Foundations of Physics

Year: 2018

Volume: 48

Issue: 1

Pages: 110-120

Print publication date: 01/01/2018

Online publication date: 18/12/2017

Acceptance date: 11/12/2017

Date deposited: 15/12/2017

ISSN (print): 0015-9018

ISSN (electronic): 1572-9516

Publisher: Springer

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-017-0131-2

DOI: 10.1007/s10701-017-0131-2

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