Boltzmann equations for preheating

Abstract

We derive quantum Boltzmann equations for preheating by means of the density matrix formalism, which account for both the non-adiabatic particle production and the leading collisional processes between the produced particles. In so doing, we illustrate the pivotal role played by pair correlations in mediating the particle production. In addition, by numerically solving the relevant system of Boltzmann equations, we demonstrate that collisional processes lead to a suppression of the growth of the number density even at the very early stages of preheating.