Inflaton

This article is about a particle/quantum field posited in cosmology. For a general rise in the level of prices, see Inflation. For other uses of "inflation", see Inflation (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Instanton.

The inflaton field is a hypothetical scalar field which is conjectured to have driven cosmic inflation in the very early universe.[1][2][3] The field, originally postulated by Alan Guth,[1] provides a mechanism by which a period of rapid expansion from 10−35 to 10−34 seconds after the initial expansion can be generated, forming a universe not inconsistent with observed spatial isotropy and homogeneity.

  1. ^ a b Guth, Alan H. (1997). The Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins. Basic Books. pp. 233–234. ISBN 978-0201328400.
  2. ^ Steinhardt, Paul J.; Turok, Neil (2007). Endless Universe: Beyond the Bang. Random House. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-7679-1501-4.
  3. ^ Steinhardt, Paul J. (April 2011). "Inflation Debate: Is the theory at the heart of modern cosmology deeply flawed?" (PDF). Scientific American. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-24. Retrieved 2013-12-31.