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SUMMARY:PhD Colloquium: A Celestial Story of Supersymmetry: Inflation and 
 Reheating in the Early Universe
DTSTART:20250903T123000Z
DTEND:20250903T153000Z
DTSTAMP:20260827T120700Z
UID:indico-event-1056@indico.hiskp.uni-bonn.de
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Wenbin Zhao (BCTP)\n\nThe Standard Model of particle
  physics and Big Bang cosmology have been successfully used to describe th
 e evolution and current state of the Universe. However\, they are known to
  be incomplete as they leave several unanswered questions\, including infl
 ation\, dark matter\, dark energy\, the baryon asymmetry of the universe\,
  and neutrino masses. This thesis presents several models that aim to answ
 er these questions within the framework of supersymmetry and supergravity.
  We begin by constructing scalar potentials that support slow roll inflati
 on using a single chiral superfield and discuss how to satisfy cosmic micr
 owave background constraints. We then consider how to incorporate supersym
 metry breaking effects into account\, which leads to a bound on the supers
 ymmetry breaking scale and the inflation scale. After finishing this simpl
 e model\, we turn to consider how to apply modular symmetry in inflation. 
 Modular symmetry is a strong constraint as well as a useful handle in unde
 rstanding the dynamics of inflation. In particular\, we consider how to co
 nstruct scalar potentials that resolve the flavor puzzles and simultaneous
 ly give rise to inflation. This combination naturally provides the necessa
 ry channels for reheating and predicts that the inflaton primarily decays 
 to heavy right-handed neutrinos. By explicit calculation\, we show that if
  the inflaton mass is high enough\, this process can be used to produce th
 e baryon asymmetry of the universe. In the end\, we discuss a mechanism th
 at produces dark matter at the end of inflation\, known as gravitational p
 article production. We compare the relic abundance of dark matter in super
 gravity models and non-supersymmetric models\, identifying the parameter s
 pace that generates sufficient dark matter.\n\nhttps://indico.hiskp.uni-bo
 nn.de/event/1056/
LOCATION:Nußallee 12/1.049 (PI) - Conference Room II (PI)
URL:https://indico.hiskp.uni-bonn.de/event/1056/
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