Self-interacting cosmic fluids: Particle production, causal evolution, and vacuum decay
arXiv:astro-ph/9911251
Abstract
We discuss two different realizations of a ``deflationary'' scenario of the early universe which imply a smooth transition from an initial de Sitter stage to a subsequent radiation-dominated FLRW period. Thermodynamically, this transition is a non-equilibrium process which may also be interpreted as the decay of an initial cosmic vacuum into relativistic matter.
4 pages, talk given at the Journées Relativistes '99, Weimar, September 12-17