High Energy Physics Seminar - Tom Giblin (Kenyon College) Was the Universe Radiation Dominated Before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis?

We seek to answer the question as to whether or not non-linear instabilities can catalyze the decay of moduli fields.  In models where field acquire a non-zero, oscillating homogeneous mode, the Universe can enter a matter-dominated era; such periods could be catastrophic to the traditional thermal history of the Universe.  In these cases, it is sometimes posited that instabilities—like those that characterize the end of inflation—could destabilize this oscillation.  In this talk I will summarize our work that outlines this argument and the limits to which it could be successful.