Schwinger effect in axion inflation on a lattice

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Main Authors: Iarygina, Oksana, Sfakianakis, Evangelos I., Brandenburg, Axel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866914514015879168
author Iarygina, Oksana
Sfakianakis, Evangelos I.
Brandenburg, Axel
author_facet Iarygina, Oksana
Sfakianakis, Evangelos I.
Brandenburg, Axel
contents We present the first lattice simulations of the nonlinear evolution after axion inflation by self-consistently incorporating currents arising from Schwinger pair production. The tachyonically amplified gauge fields trigger the growth of Schwinger currents, leading to universal values for the conductivity and magnetic field at the onset of strong backreaction and subsequent quenching of gauge field production. We show that the Schwinger effect (prematurely) saturates gauge field production, thereby diminishing the prospects of high scale axion inflation magnetogenesis as a viable solution for blazar observations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_20538
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Schwinger effect in axion inflation on a lattice
Iarygina, Oksana
Sfakianakis, Evangelos I.
Brandenburg, Axel
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Theory
We present the first lattice simulations of the nonlinear evolution after axion inflation by self-consistently incorporating currents arising from Schwinger pair production. The tachyonically amplified gauge fields trigger the growth of Schwinger currents, leading to universal values for the conductivity and magnetic field at the onset of strong backreaction and subsequent quenching of gauge field production. We show that the Schwinger effect (prematurely) saturates gauge field production, thereby diminishing the prospects of high scale axion inflation magnetogenesis as a viable solution for blazar observations.
title Schwinger effect in axion inflation on a lattice
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.20538