SEMINAR

Warm inflation: a window into high energy physics

João G. Rosa

(Universidade de Aveiro)

Sala 2.8.3, IST, Dept. de Física
Thursday, April 19th, 2018 at 04:30 PM

Abstract

I will describe the paradigm of warm inflation, where a thermal radiation bath is sustained during the early phase of accelerated expansion in the cosmic history due to fluctuation-dissipation dynamics. I will discuss the main advantages of realizing inflation at finite temperature, its impact on the subsequent cosmic history and the main challenges for constructing a realistic particle physics model of warm inflation. I will then show how one can borrow ideas from Little Higgs models for electroweak symmetry breaking to construct a simple quantum field theory framework for warm inflation - the "Warm Little Inflaton" scenario, and discuss future prospects for using this scenario to construct a testable particle physics model of the early Universe.