Large Gravitational Wave Background Signals in Electroweak Baryogenesis Scenarios

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that electroweak baryogenesis can produce a detectable gravitational wave background without conflicting with baryogenesis requirements, challenging previous assumptions by including bubble hydrodynamics effects.

Contribution

It shows that large gravitational wave signals are compatible with successful electroweak baryogenesis when bubble hydrodynamics are considered.

Findings

Large gravitational wave signals can coexist with viable baryogenesis.

Hydrodynamics significantly affect bubble wall velocity predictions.

Detection of gravitational waves does not exclude electroweak baryogenesis.

Abstract

The bubble wall velocity in an electroweak first order phase transition is a key quantity both for electroweak baryogenesis and for the production of a stochastic background of gravitational waves that may be probed in the future through gravitational wave experiments like LISA or BBO. We show that, contrary to the conclusion drawn from previous studies, it is actually possible to generate a potentially large gravitational wave signal while satisfying the requirements for viable electroweak baryogenesis, once the effects of the hydrodynamics of bubble growth are taken into account. Then, the observation of a large gravitational wave background from the electroweak phase transition would not necessarily rule out electroweak baryogenesis as the mechanism having generated the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe.