Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation

Abstract The violation of the null energy condition (NEC) may play a crucial role in enabling a scalar field to climb over high potential barriers, potentially significant in the very early universe. We propose a single-field model where the universe sequentially undergoes a first stage of slow-roll...

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Main Authors: Shi Pan, Yong Cai, Yun-Song Piao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-09-01
Series:European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13340-1
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author Shi Pan
Yong Cai
Yun-Song Piao
author_facet Shi Pan
Yong Cai
Yun-Song Piao
author_sort Shi Pan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The violation of the null energy condition (NEC) may play a crucial role in enabling a scalar field to climb over high potential barriers, potentially significant in the very early universe. We propose a single-field model where the universe sequentially undergoes a first stage of slow-roll inflation, NEC violation, and a second stage of slow-roll inflation. Through the NEC violation, the scalar field climbs over high potential barriers, leaving unique characteristics on the primordial gravitational wave power spectrum, including a blue-tilted nature in the middle-frequency range and diminishing oscillation amplitudes at higher frequencies. Additionally, the power spectrum exhibits nearly scale-invariant behavior on both large and small scales.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1434-6052
language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
spelling doaj-art-b823efdebd654a6f97f1dfdaff00d2932024-11-17T12:44:33ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522024-09-0184911310.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13340-1Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violationShi Pan0Yong Cai1Yun-Song Piao2School of Fundamental Physics and Mathematical Sciences, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCASInstitute for Astrophysics, School of Physics, Zhengzhou UniversitySchool of Fundamental Physics and Mathematical Sciences, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCASAbstract The violation of the null energy condition (NEC) may play a crucial role in enabling a scalar field to climb over high potential barriers, potentially significant in the very early universe. We propose a single-field model where the universe sequentially undergoes a first stage of slow-roll inflation, NEC violation, and a second stage of slow-roll inflation. Through the NEC violation, the scalar field climbs over high potential barriers, leaving unique characteristics on the primordial gravitational wave power spectrum, including a blue-tilted nature in the middle-frequency range and diminishing oscillation amplitudes at higher frequencies. Additionally, the power spectrum exhibits nearly scale-invariant behavior on both large and small scales.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13340-1
spellingShingle Shi Pan
Yong Cai
Yun-Song Piao
Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
title Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
title_full Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
title_fullStr Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
title_full_unstemmed Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
title_short Climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
title_sort climbing over the potential barrier during inflation via null energy condition violation
url https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13340-1
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AT yongcai climbingoverthepotentialbarrierduringinflationvianullenergyconditionviolation
AT yunsongpiao climbingoverthepotentialbarrierduringinflationvianullenergyconditionviolation