Unifying dark matter, dark energy and inflation with a fuzzy dark fluid

Scalar fields appear in many cosmological models, in particular in order to provide explanations for dark energy and inflation, but also to emulate dark matter. In this paper, we show that it is possible for a scalar field to replace simultaneously dark matter, dark energy and inflation by assuming the existence of a non-minimal coupling to gravity, a Mexican hat potential, and a spontaneous symmetry breaking before inflation. After inflation, the scalar field behaves like a dark fluid, mimicking dark energy and dark matter, and has a dark matter behaviour similar to fuzzy dark matter.

Automated summary

This paper explores the possibility of a scalar field replacing dark matter, dark energy, and inflation by introducing a non-minimal coupling to gravity, a Mexican hat potential, and spontaneous symmetry breaking. The scalar field behaves like a dark fluid after inflation, mimicking the properties of both dark energy and dark matter.