We consider the conditions for the decay products of perturbative inflaton decay to thermalize. The importance of considering the full spectrum of inflaton decay products in the thermalization process is emphasized. It is shown that the delay between the end of inflaton decay and thermalization allows the thermal gravitino upper bound on the reheating temperature to be raised from 10 GeV to as ...

The behavior of scalar perturbations on superhorizon scales during the reheating stage is investigated by replacing the rapidly oscillating inflaton field by a perfect fluid obtained by spacetime averaging and the WKB approximation. The influence of the energy transfer from the inflaton to radiation on the evolution of the Bardeen parameter is examined for realistic reheating processes. It is s...

The theory of reheating of the Universe after inflation is developed. We have found that typically at the first stage of reheating the classical inflaton field φ rapidly decays into φ-particles or into other bosons due to a broad parametric resonance. Then these bosons decay into other particles, which eventually become thermalized. Complete reheating is possible only in those theories where a ...

In ationary reheating is almost completely controlled by the Floquet indices, k. Using spectral theory we demonstrate that the stability bands (where k = 0) of the Mathieu and Lam e equations are destroyed even in Minkowski spacetime, leaving a fractal Cantor set or a measure zero set of stable modes in the cases where the in aton evolves in an almost-periodic or stochastic manner respectively....

We describe a new mechanism for reheating the Universe through evaporation of a surface charge of a fragmented inflaton condensate. We show that for a range of Yukawa coupling of the inflaton to the matter sector evaporation gives rise to a much smaller reheat temperature compared to the standard perturbative decay. As a consequence, reheating through a surface effect could solve the gravitino ...

Chills (goose bumps) have been repeatedly associated with positive emotional peaks. Chills seem to be related to distinct musical structures and the reward system in the brain. A new approach that uses chills as indicators of individual emotional peaks is discussed. Chill reactions of 95 participants in response to seven music pieces were recorded. Subjective intensity as well as physiological ...

The curvaton and the inhomogeneous reheating scenarios for the generation of the cosmological curvature perturbation on large scales represent an alternative to the standard slow-roll scenario where the observed density perturbations are due to fluctuations of the inflaton field itself. The basic assumption of the curvaton and inhomogeneous reheating mechanisms is that the initial curvature per...