Primordial SU(2) gauge field, a new paradigm for particle cosmology

by Dr Azadeh Maleknejad (Max Planck Institute For Astrophysics)

Thursday 31 Oct 2019, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Berlin

Main/2-313 - 313 (Main)

Primordial SU(2) gauge fields and axions can contribute to the physics of inflation. In this class of models, both the gauge field and axion acquire a VEV, which is P and CP breaking and enriches the phenomenology of particles with spin. Their multifaceted phenomenology and unique observational signatures, e.g., chiral primordial gravitational waves and gravitational leptogenesis, turned this class of models to a hot topic of research in the past nine years. In this talk, I will briefly review the different realizations of this setup. Next, I will tell you about the three different types of particles produced by the SU(2) gauge field, i.e., scalar, fermion, and spin-2 particles. The new spin-2 field produces chiral gravitational waves, which can be detected with LiteBIRD, CMB-S4, adv LISA, and BBO. Last but not least, I will tell you about the fermion generation during inflation, dark and visible, as yet another generous opportunity offered by the primordial SU(2)!