Cosmology, inflation, and supersymmetry

Cosmological consequences of supersymmetric grand unified models based on the Witten-O'Raifeartaigh potential are discussed. In particular the authors study the development of the phase transition in the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry. They find that in realistic models where light fields feel supersymmetry breaking only through coupling to massive fields, e.g., the Geometric Hierarchy model, the transition does not produce sufficient entropy. Thus, the standard cosmological flatness, monopole, and horizon problems remain. In addition, it is found that the transition is never completed, in the sense that the universe remains dominated by coherent Higgs field energy, resulting in an apparent matter dominated universe with Ω > or ∼ 1030. (Auth.)