Effective Field Theory and Electroweak Baryogenesis in the Singlet-Extended Standard Model

TL;DR

This paper examines the use of effective field theory to analyze electroweak phase transitions relevant for baryogenesis in the singlet-extended Standard Model, highlighting potential limitations of the approach.

Contribution

It critically assesses the validity of effective field theory methods in modeling electroweak baryogenesis within the singlet-extended Standard Model.

Findings

Identifies pitfalls in the effective field theory approach due to modest mass scale hierarchies.

Discusses how dimensionful couplings can violate decoupling assumptions.

Highlights the need for careful consideration of heavy degrees of freedom in baryogenesis studies.

Abstract

Electroweak baryogenesis is a simple and attractive candidate mechanism for generating the observed baryon asymmetry in the Universe. Its viability is sometimes investigated in terms of an effective field theory of the Standard Model involving higher dimension operators. We investigate the validity of such an effective field theory approach to the problem of identifying electroweak phase transitions strong enough for electroweak baryogenesis to be successful. We identify and discuss some pitfalls of this approach due to the modest hierarchy between mass scales of heavy degrees or freedom and the Higgs, and the possibility of dimensionful couplings violating the decoupling between light and heavy degrees of freedom.