SearcharxivSearch

arXiv · 1406.5644

Higgs instability and de Sitter radiation

Abstract

If the Standard Model (SM) of elementary particle physics is assumed to hold good to arbitrarily high energies, then, for the best fit values of the parameters, the scalar potential of the Standard Model Higgs field turns negative at a high scale $μ_{\rm inst}$. If the physics beyond the SM is such that it does not modify this feature of the Higgs potential and if the Hubble parameter during inflation ($H_{\rm inf}$) is such that $H_{\rm inf} \gg μ_{\rm inst}$, then, quantum fluctuations of the SM Higgs during inflation make it extremely unlikely that after inflation it will be found in the metastable vacuum at the weak scale. In this work, we assume that (i) during inflation, the SM Higgs is in Bunch-Davies vacuum state, and, (ii) the question about the stability of the effective potential must be answered in the frame of the freely falling observer (just like in Minkowski spacetime), and then use the well known fact that the freely falling observer finds Bunch-Davies vacuum to be in thermal state to show that the probability to end up in the electroweak vacuum after inflation is reasonably high.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Gaurav Goswami, Subhendra Mohanty. 2015-10-12. Higgs instability and de Sitter radiation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2015.10.027

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Axionic Wormholes in Metric-Affine Gravity

The axion is a promising candidate for solving the strong CP problem. To solve this problem, the global U(1) symmetry must be preserved to a high degree of accuracy. However, it is well known that global symmetries are explicitly violated by quantum gravity effects, giving rise to what is referred to as the axion quality problem. In this paper, we investigate axionic wormholes as a source of explicit U(1) violation in Metric-Affine Gravity. This framework allows for spacetime torsion and non-metricity, which accommodate additional curvature-like and topological terms, such as the Holst and Nieh--Yan terms, that are absent from the metric and Palatini formalisms. We show that non-minimal couplings to these terms modify the wormhole dynamics and enhance the Euclidean wormhole action, thereby alleviating the axion quality problem. We also find that the viable parameter space is enlarged when two of these couplings are simultaneously present. We further identify representative parameter regions where the alleviation of the axion quality problem is compatible with inflationary constraints.

hep-ph

Qubit-Qutrit Quantum Tomography of hadronic $\Lambda\phi$ and $\Lambda K^{\ast 0}$ systems

Quantum-information observables have emerged in recent years as new tools in nuclear and particle physics, from entanglement in top-quark pairs to spin correlations in $\Lambda\bar{\Lambda}$ production. Extending these studies to unequal-spin hadronic final states poses a fundamental challenge: the $6\times6$ density matrix of a qubit-qutrit system contains 35 independent spin parameters, but the decays of $\Lambda V$ pairs, with $V=\phi$ or $K^{*0}$, provide access to only 23 due to the hidden vector polarization from the strong decay. In this Letter, we formulate a qubit-qutrit quantum tomography (QQQT) technique for these spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}\otimes1$ systems and establish exact criteria for entanglement certification from the \textit{incomplete} density matrix. Compared with the $\Lambda\bar{\Lambda}$ system, QQQT of $\Lambda\phi$ and $\Lambda K^{*0}$ provides a new probe of nonperturbative QCD hadronization, enabling a direct comparison of the spin evolution of entangled quark pairs produced from the vacuum as they hadronize into a baryon or a vector meson.

hep-ph

Twist decomposition of exclusive heavy meson production cross sections

We study the twist decomposition of the total cross sections for exclusive heavy vector meson electroproduction and photoproduction in the $\gamma^\ast p$ processes, within the leading logarithmic $1/x$ BFKL formalism. The Mellin transforms of the impact factors of the vector meson are calculated. We show that the higher twist contributions are strongly suppressed in the low-$x$ kinematical regime. Possible enhancement of the higher twists effects for nuclei targets is discussed.

hep-ph