Subcritical bubble prehistory in weak first-order phase transition
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910252402737152 |
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| author | Chen, Guangshang Xiao, Yang Yang, Jin Min Zhang, Yang |
| author_facet | Chen, Guangshang Xiao, Yang Yang, Jin Min Zhang, Yang |
| contents | Standard calculations of cosmological first-order phase transitions usually assume critical bubbles to nucleate on a homogeneous symmetric vacuum background. However, this assumption can fail in weak transitions, where thermal fluctuations trigger subcritical bubbles before the standard nucleation temperature $T_n$. Motivated by this possibility, we systematically examine whether the homogeneous nucleation background approximation is self-consistent. By evolving the Gelmini-Gleiser subcritical bubble kinetics and comparing it with the standard critical bubble nucleation picture, we identify the parameter regions in which the background becomes apparently mixed. A detailed scan of these regions shows that sizable subcritical volume fractions arise when the two phases are nearly degenerate at $T_n$, the potential barrier is low, the difference of free energy between the symmetric and broken phases is moderate and the transition strength is weak. Our analysis further yields a simple criterion, $\log_{10}\hat f_ξ(T_n)\simeq -1.95$, for a percent level subcritical bubble volume fraction. Parameter points above this boundary should be treated as mixed background candidates rather than as ordinary homogeneous bounce points. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_24891 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Subcritical bubble prehistory in weak first-order phase transition Chen, Guangshang Xiao, Yang Yang, Jin Min Zhang, Yang High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Standard calculations of cosmological first-order phase transitions usually assume critical bubbles to nucleate on a homogeneous symmetric vacuum background. However, this assumption can fail in weak transitions, where thermal fluctuations trigger subcritical bubbles before the standard nucleation temperature $T_n$. Motivated by this possibility, we systematically examine whether the homogeneous nucleation background approximation is self-consistent. By evolving the Gelmini-Gleiser subcritical bubble kinetics and comparing it with the standard critical bubble nucleation picture, we identify the parameter regions in which the background becomes apparently mixed. A detailed scan of these regions shows that sizable subcritical volume fractions arise when the two phases are nearly degenerate at $T_n$, the potential barrier is low, the difference of free energy between the symmetric and broken phases is moderate and the transition strength is weak. Our analysis further yields a simple criterion, $\log_{10}\hat f_ξ(T_n)\simeq -1.95$, for a percent level subcritical bubble volume fraction. Parameter points above this boundary should be treated as mixed background candidates rather than as ordinary homogeneous bounce points. |
| title | Subcritical bubble prehistory in weak first-order phase transition |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Phenomenology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.24891 |