Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A bstract First-order phase transitions in the early Universe are pivotal for gravitational wave production, baryogenesis, and dark matter generation. A central question is whether bubble walls reach a subjouguet or ultra-relativistic velocity — a distinction governed by hydrodynamic obstruction, where plasma heating counteracts the vacuum pressure driving the wall. Traditional analyses assume steady-state fluid profiles, but these may fail during the wall’s acceleration phase. We study the dynamical evolution of the pressure on the bubble wall in local thermal equilibrium (LTE), combining analytical approximations with numerical hydrodynamic simulations. Our results reveal that the heating wave’s formation time often exceeds the wall’s acceleration timescale, invalidating steady-state predictions near the Jouguet velocity. We derive a revised criterion for the maximal driving pressure, which separates deflagration/hybrid regimes from detonations/runaway walls. This criterion, validated by simulations, shows that hydrodynamic obstruction is less restrictive than steady state LTE predictions suggest.
Source: Journal of High Energy Physics
Authors: Benoit Laurent, Miguel Vanvlasselaer
Institutions: Perimeter Institute, Universitat de Barcelona
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Awards: G1105844351, G1175115578, G1243611389, G2262748287, G24120701, G2601397997, G294895050, G300979063, G3010518541, G3480869486, G3681454997, G377623426, G4042783231, G425668148, G491712853, G5080475149, G5195188938, G5635532810, G593054264, G7084143925, G7395345766, G7525315620, G7805626310, G7863371703, G8497050386, G8667377315
OpenAlex ID: W7166806439