Matter exists because of an event called reheating after the period of inflation, where the inflaton field decayed, transforming energy into particles.
Here's a breakdown of that process:
-
Inflation: In the very early universe, there was a period of extremely rapid expansion called inflation. During this time, the universe was dominated by dark energy and largely empty of matter. A hypothetical field called the inflaton field drove this expansion.
-
Reheating: Inflation ended when the inflaton field decayed. This decay released its energy, which then transformed into a hot, dense soup of particles – the matter we see today. This process is known as reheating because the universe went from being cold and empty to hot and full of particles.
-
Matter Creation: The decay of the inflaton field and subsequent reheating are crucial for understanding the origin of matter. Before reheating, there was very little matter in the universe. Reheating essentially created the matter we observe today. Only a tiny amount of dark energy remained after reheating.
In essence, matter's existence traces back to the decay of the inflaton field during reheating, a critical phase in the early universe's evolution.
