Quintessential inflation - art. no. 063505

We present an explicit observationally acceptable model for evolution from inflation to the present epoch under the assumption that the entropy and ma tter of the familiar universe are from gravitational particle production at the end of inflation. This eliminates the problem of finding a satisfactor y coupling of the inflaton and matter fields. Since the inflaton potential V(phi) may be a monotonic function of the inflaton phi, the inflaton energy could produce an observationally significant effective cosmological consta nt, as in quintessence. [S0556-2821(99)04006-0].