First principles cosmology of the Standard Model epoch

Abstract

This is a short summary of a project to construct a first principles cosmology of the Standard Model epoch, the period starting shortly before the electro-weak transition. The cosmology is derived from a simple initial state entirely within the SM and General Relativity. The initial state is semi-classical -- concentrated near a classical solution of the SM equations of motion -- and is precisely specified by a few simple conditions. The dark matter is a classical effect, a coherent state of the SU(2)-weak gauge field and the Higgs field. The leading order, classical universe contains only the dark matter. Ordinary matter is a correction due to the fluctuations of the SM fields around the classical trajectory. The initial state produces a homogeneous, isotropic, flat universe. There are no adjustable parameters. No physics beyond the SM is invoked. Only the classical calculations have been done so far. The time evolution of the fluctuations remains to be calculated.