Is the Big Rip unreachable?

Understand

I investigate the repercussions of particle production when the Universe is dominated by a hypothetical phantom substance.

• I show that backreaction due to particle production prevents the density from shooting to infinity at a Big Rip, but instead forces it to stabilise at a large constant value.
• Afterwards there is a period of de-Sitter inflation.
• I speculate that this might lead to a cyclic Universe.