Inconsistency of an inflationary sector coupled only (minimally) to gravity
Daniel G. Figueroa (EPFL, Switzerland)

The inflationary sector might very well have no direct couplings to other species, apart from inevitable gravitational interactions. In the context of General Relativity, a thermal universe can still emerge after inflation if i) a radiation sector is excited towards the end of inflation, and ii) the equation of state after inflation becomes sufficiently stiff w >> 1/3. In such circumstances, the inflationary background of gravitational waves (GWs) is significantly enhanced, making this signal (potentially) observable by GW detectors. I will discuss first how LISA & LIGO could measure this signal, probing in this way the expansion rate of the early Universe. Secondly, I will show that the very same enhancement of the GW signal leads however to an inconsistency of the scenario, violating standard bounds on stochastic backgrounds of GWs. Finally, I will show that the very existence of the Standard Model Higgs can actually save the day, by simply demanding the Higgs to be non-minimally coupled to gravity.