Reheating after Inflation

Lev Kofman; Andrei Linde; Alexei A. Starobinsky

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.73.3195

Reheating after Inflation

Lev Kofman, Andrei Linde, and Alexei A. Starobinsky

Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3195 – Published 12 December 1994

Abstract

The theory of reheating of the Universe after inflation is developed. We have found that typically at the first stage of reheating the classical inflation field $φ$ rapidly decays into $φ$ particles or into other bosons due to a broad parametric resonance. Then these bosons decay into other particles, which eventually become thermalized. Complete reheating is possible only in those theories where a single particle $φ$ can decay into other particles. This imposes strong constraints on the structure of inflationary models, and implies that the inflation field can be a dark matter candidate.

Received 2 June 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.73.3195

Authors & Affiliations

Lev Kofman^*

Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

Andrei Linde^†

Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305

Alexei A. Starobinsky

Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Uji 611, Japan
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kosygina St. 2, Moscow 117334, Russia

^*On leave of absence from Institute of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Physics, Tartu EE-2444, Estonia.
^†On leave of absence from Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow 117924, Russia.