Particle production from non-minimal coupling in a symmetry breaking potential transporting vacuum energy

Abstract

We propose an inflationary scenario where the inflaton field is non-minimally coupled to spacetime curvature and inflation is driven by a vacuum energy symmetry breaking potential without specifying a priori whether the inflaton field is small or large. As we incorporate vacuum energy into our analysis, we further explore the implications of a non-zero potential offset within inflationary dynamics. We propose that vacuum energy can transform into particles as a result of the transition triggered by spontaneous symmetry breaking. This entails a vacuum energy cancellation that yields an effective cosmological constant during inflation by virtue of a quasi-de Sitter evolution and shows that vacuum energy contribution can manifest as geometric particles produced by inflaton fluctuations, with particular emphasis on super-Hubble modes. We conjecture these particles as quasi-particles arising from interaction between the inflaton and spacetime geometry, enhanced by non-minimal coupling. Specifically, we propose that dark matter arises from a pure geometric quasi-particle contribution, quantifying the corresponding dark matter candidate ranges of mass. In this scenario, we further find that a zero potential offset leads to a bare cosmological constant at the end of inflation, while a negative offset would require an additional kinetic (or potential) contribution in order to be fully-canceled. In this regard, we conclude that the scenario of large-field inflation is preferred since it necessitates a more appropriate selection of the offset. Our conclusion is reinforced as small-field inflation would lead to a significant screening of the Newtonian gravitational constant as inflation ends.