High-frequency gravitational waves from first-order phase transitions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new gravitational wave production mechanism during early Universe phase transitions, called gravitational transition radiation, which emits high-frequency GWs at microscopic scales due to graviton emission by particles crossing bubble walls.

Contribution

The study identifies and characterizes a novel GW source mechanism, gravitational transition radiation, that produces high-frequency GWs from microscopic processes during phase transitions.

Findings

The GW spectrum peaks at frequencies around 10^{10} Hz.

The mechanism is generic and applies to various relativistic interfaces.

It produces a distinctive high-frequency GW signature.

Abstract

First-order phase transitions in the early Universe are a well-motivated source of gravitational waves (GWs). In this Letter, we identify a previously overlooked GW production mechanism: gravitational transition radiation, arising from graviton emission by particles whose mass changes as they pass through expanding bubble walls. Unlike conventional sources such as bubble collisions or sound waves, this mechanism operates at the microscopic scale set by the Lorentz-contracted wall thickness, leading to GW emission at significantly higher frequencies. The resulting spectrum features a distinctive shape with a peak frequency redshifting to $f_{\rm peak}\sim T_0\sim 10^{10}\,{\rm Hz}$ where $T_0$ is the current temperature of the Universe. This mechanism is generic and is expected to operate similarly for domain walls and other relativistic interfaces.