Hybrid inflation and baryogenesis at the TeV scale - art. no. 043506

We consider the construction of inverted hybrid inflation models in which t he vacuum energy during inflation is on the TeV scale, and the inflaton cou ples to the Higgs field. Such models are of interest in the context at some recently proposed models of electroweak baryogenesis. We demonstrate how c onstraints on these models arise from quantum corrections, and how self-con sistent examples may be constructed, albeit at the expense of fine tuning. We discuss two possible ways in which the baryon asymmetry of the universe may be produced in these models. One of them is based on preheating and a c onsequent nonthermal electroweak symmetry restoration, and the other on the formation of Higgs winding configurations by the Kibble mechanism at the e nd of inflation.