Superunification, phase transitions and cosmology

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In this article, we survey the main features behind the idea of grand unification, both without and with (local) supersymmetry. We then study the high temperature phase transitions in the theories so realized, and their relevance to the cosmology of the early universe. In particular, we review the basic ingredients of (super) grand unified models and we give the basic tools needed for the study of their phase transitions. After a short introduction to cosmology, we focus on the interplay between unified particle physics models and cosmology, with particular emphasis on the inflationary universe scenario. In the same perspective, new research directions, in the context of higher dimensional theories, are also discussed.