We investigate the possibility of preheating in hybrid inflation. This scenario involves at least two scalar fields: the inflaton field φ, and the symmetry breaking field σ. We found that the behavior of these fields after inflation, as well as the possibility of preheating (particle production due to parametric resonance), depends crucially on the ratio of the coupling constant λ (self-interaction of the field σ) to the coupling constant $g^2$ (interaction of φ and σ). For $\lambda \gg g^2,$ the oscillations of the field σ soon after inflation become very small, and all the energy is concentrated in the oscillating field φ. For $\lambda \sim g^2$ both fields σ and φ oscillate in a rather chaotic way, but eventually their motion stabilizes, and parametric resonance with production of χ particles becomes possible. For $\lambda \ll g^2$ the oscillations of the field φ soon after inflation become very small, and all the energy is concentrated in the oscillating field σ. Preheating can be very efficient if the effective masses of the fields φ and σ are much greater than the Hubble constant at the end of inflation, since those fields can then oscillate many times per $e$-fold, with a large amplitude. Preheating can also be efficient if these fields are coupled to other light scalar (or vector) fields χ. In the recently proposed hybrid models with a second stage of inflation after the phase transition, both preheating and usual reheating are inefficient. Therefore for a very long time the universe remains in a state with vanishing pressure. As a result, density contrasts generated during the phase transition in these models can grow and collapse to form primordial black holes. Under certain conditions, most of the energy density after inflation will be stored in small black holes, which will later evaporate and reheat the universe.

• Received 20 November 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.57.6075