A rapid holographic phase transition with brane-localized curvature

TL;DR

This paper investigates how brane-localized curvature affects the phase transition dynamics in the Randall-Sundrum model at finite temperature, revealing a faster transition and modified particle spectra.

Contribution

It demonstrates that brane-localized curvature lowers the bubble nucleation energy and allows larger scalar field values, significantly impacting phase transition properties and particle masses.

Findings

Phase transition completes at larger N values.

Bubble nucleation occurs more rapidly.

Radion mass increases and KK graviton masses decrease.

Abstract

We study the finite-temperature properties of the Randall-Sundrum model in the presence of brane-localized curvature. At high temperature, as dictated by AdS/CFT, the theory is in a confined phase dual to the planar AdS black hole. When the radion is stabilized, \`a la Goldberger-Wise, a holographic first-order phase transition proceeds. The brane-localized curvature contributes to the radion kinetic energy, substantially decreasing the critical bubble energy. Contrary to previous results, the phase transition completes at much larger values of $N$, the number of degrees of freedom in the CFT. Moreover, the field value of the bulk scalar on the TeV-brane is allowed to become large, while remaining consistent with back-reaction constraints. Assisted by this fact, we find that for a wide region in the parameter space tunneling happens rather quickly, i.e. the nucleation temperature becomes of the order of the critical temperature. At zero temperature, the most important signature of brane-localized curvature is the reduction of spin-2 Kaluza-Klein graviton masses and a heavier radion.