Inflation and Dark Energy: One Cosmic Spring? ⚡ экспресс
In a maximally symmetric spacetime, an analysis of the regularized vacuum energy–momentum tensor for scalar fields was carried out. Using the Friedmann equation, we assessed the ability of such fields to cause early inflation or the current acceleration of the Universe. It was found that a conformally coupled field with a mass on the order of ten Planck masses (∼10 M_pl) can be a candidate for both the inflaton and dark energy. This result suggests that both cosmological components have a common quantum origin. Meanwhile, a minimally coupled scalar field is ruled out: it cannot provide either inflation or the observed acceleration, regardless of the chosen mass.
Right after the Big Bang, space swelled at an unimaginable speed — that's inflation. Now expansion has slowed, but galaxies are moving apart faster and faster. The culprit behind the acceleration has been named dark energy. Physicists propose: a single quantum field is responsible for both processes — like a compressed spring pervading the cosmos. The field interacts with gravity in a special way, so its energy does not wane as space expands.
To play this dual role, the field must be massive — about ten times heavier than the Planck mass. That's the mass of a speck of dust, yet for a quantum object it is enormous. This coincidence suggests: inflation and dark energy are not separate mysteries, but two sides of the same spring. The idea, proposed by Alan Guth for inflation and developed by Adam Riess for dark energy, is supported by new calculations.
🎯 The Planck mass — around 22 micrograms — is the weight of a grain of sand or a tiny droplet. For a quantum field, such a mass is huge, though to us it’s imperceptible.