Speaker
Mr
Tommi Tenkanen
(University of Helsinki and Helsinki Institute of Physics)
Description
A generic feature of Standard Model extensions with no drastic modifications to the
Higgs potential is that the Higgs is a light and energetically subdominant field during
inflation. Inflationary fluctuations generically displace the field from its vacuum generating a primordial Higgs condensate. This sets specific out-of-equilibrium initial conditions for the hot big bang epoch which could have significant observational ramifications. In this work we investigate how these initial conditions set by inflation affect the generation of dark matter in the class of portal scenarios where SM fields feel new physics only through Higgs mediated couplings. As a representative example we will
consider a $Z_2$ symmetric scalar singlet $s$ coupled to Higgs by $V = \lambda \Phi^{\dagger} \Phi s^2$. This simple extension has interesting consequences as the singlet constitutes a dark matter candidate originating from non-thermal production of singlet particles out from a singlet condensate.
Summary
Inflation generates specific out-of-equilibrium initial conditions for the hot big bang epoch which could have significant consequences both on dark matter production and other phenomena.
Author
Mr
Tommi Tenkanen
(University of Helsinki and Helsinki Institute of Physics)
Co-authors
Dr
Kimmo Tuominen
(University of Helsinki and Helsinki Institute of Physics)
Dr
Sami Nurmi
(University of Helsinki and Helsinki Institute of Physics)
