The Higgs Field and Early Universe Cosmology: A (Brief) Review
Bart Horn
Abstract
We review and discuss recent work exploring the implications of the Higgs field for early universe cosmology, and vice versa. Depending on the model under consideration, the Higgs may be one of a few scalar fields determining the evolution and fate of the Universe, or the Higgs field may be connected to a rich sector of scalar moduli with complicated dynamics. In particular, we look at the potential consequences of the Higgs field for inflation and its predictions, for the (meta)stability of the Standard Model vacuum, and for the existence of dynamical selection mechanisms in the landscape.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsHiggs bosonTheoretical physicsScalar fieldCosmologyInflation (cosmology)Higgs fieldMetric expansion of spaceUniverseField (mathematics)Inflationary epochHiggs sectorParticle physicsDark energyClassical mechanicsAstronomyPure mathematicsMathematicsCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsParticle physics theoretical and experimental studies