Inflation driven by a vector field

Journal Article · Tue Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Physical Review (Section) D: Particles and Fields; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.40.967· OSTI ID:5597717

Ford, L H ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155 (US)

The possibility of inflationary models in which inflation is driven by a vector field rather than a scalar field is discussed. The vector field {ital A}{sup {rho}} is taken to be self-coupled through a potential'' {ital V}({xi}), where {xi}={ital A}{sup {rho}}A{sub {rho}}. If {ital V} has a flat region, where {vert bar}{xi}{ital V}{prime}{vert bar}{much lt}{ital V}, then the Universe can undergo a period of isotropic inflation in which the space is approximately de Sitter. Because the vector field's stress tensor is not isotropic, the Universe will exit inflation into an anisotropic expansion. If the stable minimum of {ital V} occurs at {xi}={xi}{sub 0}=0, then this anisotropy will damp away during the reheating period. If this minimum occurs at a nonzero value of {xi}{sub 0}, then the anisotropy can be small at late times if collisionless particles, such as gravitons, are generated during reheating. In this case, the observed limits on anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background require that {xi}{sub 0}{approx lt}(10{sup 15} GeV){sup 2}. Finally, even if {ital V} does not have the flat region needed for de Sitter inflation, it is possible to have anisotropic inflation in which the Universe expands at different exponential rates in different directions. The conditions under which this can occur are discussed, and the stability of the resulting solutions is analyzed.

• OSTI ID: 5597717
• Journal Information: Physical Review (Section) D: Particles and Fields; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review (Section) D: Particles and Fields; (USA) Vol. 40:4; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
645400 -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMOLOGY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY-MOMENTUM TENSOR
EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS OF MOTION
FIELD EQUATIONS
FUNCTIONS
HIGGS MODEL
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
LIE GROUPS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PERTURBATION THEORY
RADIATIONS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE-TIME
SYMMETRY BREAKING
SYMMETRY GROUPS
TENSORS
U GROUPS
U-1 GROUPS
UNIVERSE
VECTOR FIELDS