Probing Warm Inflation via Correlated Gravitational Waves from First Order Phase Transitions

TL;DR

This paper explores how gravitational waves from phase transitions during warm inflation can serve as signatures to distinguish it from cold inflation, providing insights into early-Universe dissipative processes.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking gravitational wave features to warm inflation, enabling parameter constraints and model discrimination through future observations.

Findings

Characteristic gravitational wave signatures predicted for warm inflation.

Potential to constrain dissipative coupling and energy scale of inflation.

Future observatories can test these theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We investigate the properties of gravitational waves generated by heating induced phase transitions in warm inflation. In this scenario, the heating phase of inflation followed by subsequent cosmological cooling can trigger two associated first-order phase transitions and generate characteristic gravitational waves. The correlated gravitational wave spectral features amplitude, peak frequencies, and oscillatory behavior originate from a unified model governing both phase transitions. These signatures allow discrimination between warm and cold inflation models, and give constraint on the key parameters including the dissipative coupling strength and the inflationary energy scale, collectively illuminating early-Universe dissipative dynamics. Future gravitational wave observatories such as BBO, Ultimate DECIGO, $\mu$Ares, resonant cavities, and Pulsar Timing Array experiments, will play a important role in testing these theoretical predictions.