We investigate the dynamics of the Higgs field at the end of inflation in the minimal scenario consisting of an inflaton field coupled to the Standard Model only through the non-minimal gravitational coupling \xi of the Higgs field .
Such a coupling is required by renormalisation of the Standard Model in curved space , and in the current scenario also by vacuum stability during high-scale inflation .
We find that for \xi \gtrsim 1 , rapidly changing spacetime curvature at the end of inflation leads to significant production of Higgs particles , potentially triggering a transition to a negative-energy Planck scale vacuum state and causing an immediate collapse of the Universe .