Quantum interference in gravitational particle production
Edward E. Basso, Daniel J. H. Chung, Edward W. Kolb, Andrew J. Long
Abstract
A bstract Previous numerical investigations of gravitational particle production during the coherent oscillation period of inflation displayed unexplained fluctuations in the spectral density of the produced particles. We argue that these features are due to the quantum interference of the coherent scattering reactions that produce the particles. We provide accurate analytic formulae to compute the particle production amplitude for a conformally- coupled scalar field, including the interference effect in the kinematic region where the production can be interpreted as inflaton scattering into scalar final states via graviton exchange.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsInflatonGravitonQuantum electrodynamicsScattering amplitudeScalar (mathematics)Inflation (cosmology)Scalar fieldAmplitudeGravitationQuantum mechanicsClassical mechanicsParticle physicsGeometryMathematicsCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesSolar and Space Plasma DynamicsGeophysics and Gravity Measurements