When Also the Universe Suffered from Inflation

“The Higgs universe”. Image: ATLAS, NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

In cosmology, the term “inflation” refers to the theorized rapid expansion of the early Universe. Scientists explained inflation as caused by the presence of a spin-zero elementary particle born with the Big Bang, or the “Fiat Lux” moment. The recently discovered Higgs boson, the so-called ‘God’s particle’ is such a particle but, per se, it is not sufficient for it to be identified as the “inflation” culprit: the hypothetical particle thought to be responsible for the expansion of the Universe. For the time being, the Higgs boson is content enough to be the cause for the mass of all particles.

But what happened in the early instants of the creation, when “Fiat Lux” was pronounce? Cosmologists tell us that almost immediately after the Big Bang (around 10-35 seconds, a very short time indeed), the Universe increased in volume at a tremendous speed by undergoing an exponential expansion phase, the “inflationary” period. Following this, the Universe continued to expand, and still does, but at a slower rate.

What could have caused such a violent birth? Specialists of the field believe that a quantum field corresponding to an elementary spin-zero boson (like the Higgs boson) could, in principle, have caused such a violent evolution.  Now, the Higgs boson is indeed a spin-zero elementary particle. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough. The idea that the Higgs field plays the role of the inflaton is an intriguing one, but this cannot be the case in the framework of the plain Standard Model, the main accredited understanding in Particle Physics.

The problem for the Higgs boson to play that role seems, the Standard Model suggests, to be the need a sort of “correction” in order to be part of the inflation explanation. A possible solution might be an anomalously large gravitational interaction between the Higgs field and the curvature of the space-time geometry. But this would imply the existence of still new heavy particles, probably heavier than the same Higgs boson. In other words, inflation would not be driven by the Higgs field alone (and its carrier boson), but by a combination of the Higgs field (and boson) with other, still unknown, fields (and heavy carrier new particles.)

It will be difficult for the LHC experiments to investigate the properties of the Higgs boson deeply enough to provide an answer, and the problem lies on the energy that this accelerator can reach today. However, some information could also come from cosmological experiments such as the ESA satellite, Planck. In the cosmo, there are events and particle collisions that dwarves what we can achieve on Earth with particle accelerators. Huge ‘cosmological experiments’ the Nature conducts every nano-second in the Universe, could give hints and even answers in the understanding of inflationary dynamics.

Scientist have just discovered the experimental evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, and now need to understand its properties, and those of its field, in much more detail before anything can be said on its role in the evolution of the Universe.

In other words, it may very well be that the questions about the Higgs boson will not be answered by the LHC.

Massimo Marino has a scientific background: He spent years at CERN and The Lawrence Berkeley Lab followed by lead positions with Apple, Inc. and the World Economic Forum. He is also co-founder of “Squares on Blue”, a Big Data Analytics service company.
Massimo currently lives in France and crosses the border with Switzerland multiple times daily, although he is no smuggler.

As a Scientist, he envisions Science Fiction and went from smashing particles at accelerators at SLAC and CERN to smashing words on a computer screen.

He’s the author of multi-awarded Daimones Trilogy. 

• 2012 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction

• 2013 Hall of Fame – Best in Science Fiction, Quality Reads UK Book Club
• 2013 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction Series
• 2014 Finalist – Science Fiction – Indie Excellence Awards L.A.
• 2014 Award Winner – Science Fiction Honorable Mention – Readers’ Favorite Annual Awards

His novels are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Nook), iTunes Apple Store, and many other retailers around the world.

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