Dynamical evolution of the pressure on the bubble wall
- 1Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
- 2Universitat de Barcelona
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.
Related
- Reynolds-number evolution of wall-pressure statistics beneath canonical turbulent boundary layers
- Precise bubble wall velocity in a specific phase transition pattern in the CxSM and beyond
- Micro-convection mass transfer following bubble coalescence on a solid wall
- Dynamical Anisotropy of a Colloidal Glass Under Pressure
- Wave properties of a homogeneous, rotating plasma with full pressure tensor evolution
BibTeX
@article{laurent2026dynamical,
title = {{Dynamical evolution of the pressure on the bubble wall}},
author = {Benoit Laurent and Miguel Vanvlasselaer},
journal = {Journal of High Energy Physics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/jhep10(2026)117},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP10(2026)117},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dynamical evolution of the pressure on the bubble wall
AU - Benoit Laurent
AU - Miguel Vanvlasselaer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Journal of High Energy Physics
DO - 10.1007/jhep10(2026)117
UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP10(2026)117
AB - 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.
SN - 1029-8479
ER -