We investigate scalar particle creation in a set of bouncing models where the bounce occurs due to quantum cosmological effects described by the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. The scalar field can be either conformally or minimally coupled to gravity, and it can be massive or massless, without self-interaction. The analysis is made for models containing a single radiation fluid and for the more realistic case of models containing the usual observed radiation and dust fluids, which can fit most of the observed features of our universe, including an almost scale invariant power spectrum of scalar cosmological perturbations. In the conformal coupling case, the particle production is negligible. In the minimal coupling case, for massive particles, the results point to the same physical conclusion within observational constraints: particle production is most important at the bounce energy scale, and it is not sensitive either to its mass or to whether there is dust in the background model. The only caveat is the case where the particle mass is larger than the bounce energy scale. On the other hand, the energy density of produced massive particles depend on their masses and the energy scale of the bounce. For very large masses and deep bounces, this energy density may overcome that of the background. In the case of massless particles, the energy density of produced particles can become comparable to the background energy density only for bounces occurring at energy scales comparable to the Planck scale or above, which lies beyond the scope of this paper: we expect that the simple Wheeler-DeWitt approach we are using should be valid only at scales a few orders of magnitude below the Planck energy. Nevertheless, in the case in which dust is present, there is an infrared divergence, which becomes important only for scales much larger than today’s Hubble radius.

• Received 16 October 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.023523