The quantum gravity connection between inflation and quintessence

Understand

Inflation and quintessence can both be described by a single scalar field.

• The cosmic time evolution of this cosmon field realizes a crossover from the region of an ultraviolet fixed point in the infinite past to an infrared fixed point in the infinite future.
• This amounts to a transition from early inflation to late dynamical dark energy, with intermediate radiation and matter domination.
• The scaling solution of the renormalization flow in quantum gravity connects the two fixed points.