An analytical approach to the field amplification and particle production by parametric resonance during inflation and reheating

Abstract

Field amplification and particle production due to parametric resonance are highly nontrivial predictions of quantum fields that couple to an oscillating source during inflation and reheating. Understanding this two effects is crucial for the connection between the resonance phenomenon and precise observational data. In this paper, we give a general and analytic analysis of parametric resonance of relevant field modes evolving during inflation and reheating by using the uniform asymptotic approximation. This analysis can provide a clear and quantitative explanation for the field amplification and particle production during the resonance. The potential applications of our results to several examples, including sound resonance during inflation, particle productions during reheating, and parametric resonance due to self-resonance potentials, have also been explored. The formalism developed in this paper is also applicable to parametric resonance in a broad areas of modern science.