Inflaton Fragmentation After λφ⁴ Inflation

Authors

Gary Felder, Smith CollegeFollow
Olga Navros, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-13-2007

Publication Title

Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

Abstract

We use lattice simulations to examine the detailed dynamics of inflaton fragmentation during and after preheating in λφ⁴ chaotic inflation. The dynamics are qualitatively similar to preheating after m²φ² inflation, involving the exponential growth and subsequent expansion and collision of bubble-like inhomogeneities of the inflaton and other scalar fields. During this stage fluctuations of the fields become strongly non-Gaussian. In the quartic theory, the conformal nature of the theory allows us to extend our simulations to much greater times than is possible for the quadratic model. With these longer simulations we have been able to determine the time scale on which Gaussianity is restored, which occurs after a time on the order of a thousand inflaton oscillations.

Volume

2007

Issue

02

DOI

DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2007/02/014

ISSN

1475-7516

Comments

Archived as published.

Recommended Citation

Felder, Gary and Navros, Olga, "Inflaton Fragmentation After λφ⁴ Inflation" (2007). Physics: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/phy_facpubs/7