A bound on the scale of spacetime noncommutativity from the reheating phase after inflation

Abstract

In an approach to noncommutative gauge theories, where the full noncommutative behavior is delimited by the presence of the UV and IR cutoffs, we consider the possibility of describing a system at a temperature T in a box of size L. Employing a specific form of UV/IR relationship inherent in such an approach of restrictive noncommutativity, we derive, for a given temperature T, an upper bound on the parameter of spacetime noncommutativity Lambda_NC ~ |theta|^{-1/2}. Considering such epochs in the very early universe which are expected to reflect spacetime noncommutativity to a quite degree, like the reheating stage after inflation, or believable pre-inflation radiation-dominated epochs, the best limits on Lambda_NC are obtained. We also demonstrate how the nature and size of the thermal system (for instance, the Hubble distance versus the future event horizon) can affect our bounds.Comment: 9 pages, a reference added, to appear in PL