Self-unitarization of New Higgs Inflation and compatibility with Planck and BICEP2 data

Abstract

In this paper we show that the Germani-Kehagias model of Higgs inflation (or New Higgs Inflation), where the Higgs boson is kinetically non-minimally coupled to the Einstein tensor is in perfect compatibility with the latest Planck and BICEP2 data. Moreover, we show that the tension between the Planck and BICEP2 data can be relieved within the New Higgs inflation scenario by a negative running of the spectral index. Regarding the unitarity of the model, we argue that it is unitary throughout the evolution of the Universe. Weak couplings in the Higgs-Higgs and Higgs-graviton sectors are provided by a large background dependent cut-off scale during inflation. In the same regime, the W and Z gauge bosons acquire a very large mass, thus decouple. On the other hand, if they are also non-minimally coupled to the Higgs boson, their effective masses can be enormously reduced. In this case, the W and Z bosons are no longer decoupled. After inflation, the New Higgs model is well approximated by a quartic Galileon with a renormalizable potential. We argue that this can unitarily create the right conditions for inflation to eventually start.

14 pages, 1 figure. [v2]: Explanations added, minor changes, results unchanged. Version published in JCAP

References in corpus (10)

• Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
• Observation of a new boson at a mass of 125 GeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC
• The Standard Model Higgs boson as the inflaton
• Multi-field galileons and higher co-dimension branes
• Cosmic Acceleration and the Helicity-0 Graviton
• Higgs G-inflation
• Non-Renormalization and Naturalness in a Class of Scalar-Tensor Theories
• Physics of Trans-Planckian Gravity
• Remarks about the Tensor Mode Detection by the BICEP2 Collaboration and the Super-Planckian Excursions of the Inflaton Field
• Higher Derivative D-term Inflation in New-minimal Supergravity

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Critical point Higgs inflation in the Palatini formulation
• Tree-level unitarity in Higgs inflation in the metric and the Palatini formulation
• Reheating predictions in Gravity Theories with Derivative Coupling
• Ruling out an inflation driven by a power law potential: kinetic coupling does not help
• Scalar fields with derivative coupling to curvature in the Palatini and the metric formulation
• Non-minimal Unimodular Inflation
• Higgs Inflation in Unimodular Gravity
• Constant-roll inflation with non-minimally derivative coupling
• Inflation with the Chern-Simons term in the Palatini formulation
• Non-minimally coupled scalar field and scaling symmetry in a cosmological background
• Inflation with the Gauss-Bonnet term in the Palatini formulation