Electroweak phase transition in an extension of the Standard Model with scalar color octet

TL;DR

This paper investigates how extending the Standard Model with a scalar color octet can enable a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition, with potential implications for collider experiments.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a scalar color octet extension allows for a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition within experimentally viable parameter ranges.

Findings

Wide parameter space supports strongly first-order transition

Higgs mass can exceed 115 GeV in these scenarios

Scalar color octet masses around 200 GeV are viable

Abstract

In an extension of the Standard Model with a scalar color octet, the possibility of the strongly first-order electroweak phase transition is studied, by examining the finite-temperature effective Higgs potential at the one-loop level. It is found that there are wide regions in the parameter space that allow the strongly first-order electroweak phase transition, where the Higgs boson mass is larger than the experimental lower bound of 115 GeV, and the masses of the scalar color octet is around 200 GeV. The parameter regions may be explored at the LHC with respect to the electroweak phase transition.