Radiative first-order phase transitions to next-to-next-to-leading order

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new perturbative approach to study radiatively-induced first-order phase transitions, addressing previous inconsistencies and the Linde problem, and showing improved agreement with lattice data.

Contribution

The authors develop a consistent power counting scheme that enhances perturbative calculations of phase transitions, reducing issues caused by infrared divergences.

Findings

The new method aligns better with lattice data.

Infrared divergences are less problematic than previously believed.

The Linde problem's impact is mitigated in this approach.

Abstract

We develop new perturbative tools to accurately study radiatively-induced first-order phase transitions. Previous perturbative methods have suffered internal inconsistencies and been unsuccessful in reproducing lattice data, which is often attributed to infrared divergences of massless modes (the Linde problem). We employ a consistent power counting scheme to perform calculations, and compare our results against lattice data. We conclude that the consistent expansion removes many previous issues, and indicates that the infamous Linde problem is not as big a factor in these calculations as previously thought.