Primordial Gravitational Waves from Phase Transitions during Reheating

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Main Authors: Banik, Amitayus, Bernal, Nicolás, Hajkarim, Fazlollah
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Banik, Amitayus
Bernal, Nicolás
Hajkarim, Fazlollah
author_facet Banik, Amitayus
Bernal, Nicolás
Hajkarim, Fazlollah
contents We study primordial gravitational waves (GWs) generated from first-order phase transitions (PTs) during cosmic reheating. Using a minimal particle physics model, and a general parametrization of the inflaton energy density and the evolution of the Standard Model temperature, we explore the conditions under which PTs occur and determine the corresponding PT parameters (the PT temperature, duration and strength), which depend on the evolution of the background during reheating. We find that, in certain cosmological scenarios, PTs can be delayed and prolonged compared to the standard post-inflationary evolution. Incorporating these PT parameters, we compute the resulting GW spectrum generated from the various processes occurring during a first-order PT: bubble collisions, sound waves, and magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence. We find that, in comparison to the standard cosmological history, the GW amplitude and peak frequency can be modified by several orders of magnitude due to the additional enhancement or suppression arising from the cosmological evolution during reheating. In particular, the GW spectra could be within the reach of next-generation GW and CMB observatories.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_02116
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Primordial Gravitational Waves from Phase Transitions during Reheating
Banik, Amitayus
Bernal, Nicolás
Hajkarim, Fazlollah
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
We study primordial gravitational waves (GWs) generated from first-order phase transitions (PTs) during cosmic reheating. Using a minimal particle physics model, and a general parametrization of the inflaton energy density and the evolution of the Standard Model temperature, we explore the conditions under which PTs occur and determine the corresponding PT parameters (the PT temperature, duration and strength), which depend on the evolution of the background during reheating. We find that, in certain cosmological scenarios, PTs can be delayed and prolonged compared to the standard post-inflationary evolution. Incorporating these PT parameters, we compute the resulting GW spectrum generated from the various processes occurring during a first-order PT: bubble collisions, sound waves, and magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence. We find that, in comparison to the standard cosmological history, the GW amplitude and peak frequency can be modified by several orders of magnitude due to the additional enhancement or suppression arising from the cosmological evolution during reheating. In particular, the GW spectra could be within the reach of next-generation GW and CMB observatories.
title Primordial Gravitational Waves from Phase Transitions during Reheating
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.02116