Resonant reheating

Abstract

We investigate a novel reheating scenario proceeding through s-channel inflaton annihilation, mediated by a massive scalar. If the inflaton ϕ oscillates around the minimum of a monomial potential ∝ ϕ n, we reveal the emergence of resonance phenomena originating from the dynamic evolution of the inflaton mass for n>2. Consequently, a resonance appears in both the radiation and the temperature evolution during the reheating process. By solving the coupled Boltzmann equations, we present solutions for radiation and temperature. We find non-trivial temperature characteristics during reheating, depending on the value of n and the masses of the inflaton and mediator. Some phenomenological aspects of the model are explored. As a concrete example, we show that the same mediator participates in the genesis of dark matter, modifying the standard freeze-in dynamics. In addition, we demonstrate that the resonant reheating scenario could be tested by next-generation low- and high-frequency gravitational wave detectors.