Simulating the Electroweak Phase Transition in the SU(2) Higgs Model

TL;DR

This paper uses lattice simulations to study the nature of the electroweak phase transition in the SU(2) Higgs model, revealing a first-order transition at low Higgs masses and analyzing systematic errors.

Contribution

It provides new lattice simulation data on the phase transition's order and strength across different Higgs masses, including systematic error analysis.

Findings

Phase transition is first order below 50 GeV Higgs mass.

Transition strength decreases rapidly with increasing Higgs mass.

Finite volume and scaling effects are systematically studied.

Abstract

Numerical simulations are performed to study the finite temperature phase transition in the SU(2) Higgs model on the lattice. In the presently investigated range of the Higgs boson mass, below 50 GeV, the phase transition turns out to be of first order and its strength is rapidly decreasing with increasing Higgs boson mass. In order to control the systematic errors, we also perform studies of scaling violations and of finite volume effects.