Quantum Particle Production Effects on Cosmic Expansion

Abstract: Quantum fields in cosmological spacetimes can experience particle production due to their interaction with the expanding background. This effect is particularly relevant for models of the very early Universe, when the energy density generated through this process may back-react on the cosmological expansion. Yet, these scenarios have not been fully explored due to the several technical hurdles imposed by the back-reaction calculations. In this work we review the basics of cosmological quantum particle production and demonstrate a numerical algorithm to solve the back-reaction problem in regimes dominated by particle production. As an illustration, we compute the effects of a massive quantized scalar field on a cosmological bounce scenario, explicitly showing that quantum particle production can cause the contracting phase to end in a radiation crunch, or can delay the bounce. Finally, we discuss the relevance of quantum particle production/annihilation to bounce and inflationary models of the early Universe.