Tachyonic particle production in strongly supercooled phase transitions
Abstract
In strongly supercooled cosmological phase transitions, which generically lead to strong, observable gravitational-wave backgrounds, the scalar field typically transitions to a value well below the minimum of its potential. We study particle production caused by the subsequent evolution of the field. Because some modes feature temporarily tachyonic masses, they can be efficiently produced, and a significant fraction of the energy density released in the phase transition can get converted to particles rather than gradient energy. This has consequences for the shape and amplitude of the gravitational-wave spectrum caused by the interactions in bubbles and sources a new, high-frequency signal. Moreover, it affects the bubble expansion velocity and equation of state, which can facilitate the formation of primordial black holes.
Related
- Two-peak gravitational wave spectra from supercooled two-field phase transitions
- On the Role of Gravity in Supercooled Phase Transitions
- Dark Transport Erases Baryon Inhomogeneity from Supercooled Phase Transitions
- Particle production from bubble collisions
- Bumpy inflation from explosive particle production
BibTeX
@misc{kulejewski2026tachyonic,
title = {{Tachyonic particle production in strongly supercooled phase transitions}},
author = {Mateusz Kulejewski and Bogumila Swiezewska and Jorinde van de Vis},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.26767},
eprint = {2609.26767},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26767},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Tachyonic particle production in strongly supercooled phase transitions
AU - Mateusz Kulejewski
AU - Bogumila Swiezewska
AU - Jorinde van de Vis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.26767
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26767
AB - In strongly supercooled cosmological phase transitions, which generically lead to strong, observable gravitational-wave backgrounds, the scalar field typically transitions to a value well below the minimum of its potential. We study particle production caused by the subsequent evolution of the field. Because some modes feature temporarily tachyonic masses, they can be efficiently produced, and a significant fraction of the energy density released in the phase transition can get converted to particles rather than gradient energy. This has consequences for the shape and amplitude of the gravitational-wave spectrum caused by the interactions in bubbles and sources a new, high-frequency signal. Moreover, it affects the bubble expansion velocity and equation of state, which can facilitate the formation of primordial black holes.
ER -