  The Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space-time exhibits particle creation
similar to Hawking radiation of a black hole. In this essay we show that this
FRW Hawking radiation leads to an effective negative pressure fluid which can
drive an inflationary period of exponential expansion in the early Universe.
Since the Hawking temperature of the FRW space-time decreases as the Universe
expands this mechanism naturally turns off and the inflationary stage
transitions to a power law expansion associated with an ordinary radiation
dominated Universe.
