Related papers: From Hubble to Bubble
Inflation models ending in a first order phase transition produce gravitational waves (GW) via bubble collisions of the true vacuum phase. We demonstrate that these bubble collisions can leave an observable signature in Advanced LIGO, an…
The motion of a pseudo-scalar field $X$ during inflation naturally induces a significant amplification of the gauge fields to which it is coupled. The amplified gauge fields can source characteristic scalar and tensor primordial…
Cosmological perturbations, originating in the quantum fluctuations of the fields that drive inflation, are observed to be nearly scale invariant at the largest scales. At smaller scales, however, perturbations are not severely constrained…
We uncover a new gravitational-wave production mechanism in cosmological, first-order, thermal phase transitions. These are usually assumed to proceed via the nucleation of bubbles of the stable phase inside the metastable phase. However,…
Physics beyond the Standard Model may give rise to first-order phase transitions proceeding via the nucleation of vacuum bubbles, whose subsequent collisions generate gravitational waves (GWs). Their detection would open the possibility of…
We propose a scenario of the beginning of inflation in which the non-vacuum value of the scalar field that drives inflation develops dynamically due to the non-minimal coupling to gravity. In this scenario, inflation emerges as an…
In this paper we put forward the idea that the comoving Hubble horizon undergoes multiple stages of contraction (a.k.a. inflationary phase) and expansion. The observable inflation, that produces the CMB anisotropies and generates primordial…
Inflation in the early Universe is one of the most promising probes of gravity in the high-energy regime. However, observable scales give access to a limited window in the inflationary dynamics. In this essay, we argue that quantum…
We consider the impact of thermal inflation -- a short, secondary period of inflation that can arise in supersymmetric scenarios -- on the stochastic gravitational wave background. We show that while the primordial inflationary…
In this work we study the imprints of bubble nucleation on primordial inflationary perturbations. We assume that the bubble is formed via the tunneling of a spectator field from the false vacuum of its potential to its true vacuum. We…
We study the production, spectrum and detectability of gravitational waves in models of the early Universe where first order phase transitions occur during inflation. We consider all relevant sources. The self-consistency of the scenario…
Gravitational waves (GWs) produced during first-order phase transitions (FOPTs) in the early universe provide a powerful probe of nonstandard cosmological histories. We study GW production from a FOPT ending a kination-dominated epoch in…
We provide a roadmap for analyzing the interplay between hypothetical future collider observations and the detection of a gravitational wave signal produced by a strong first order electroweak phase transition in beyond the Standard Model…
Inflationary cosmology is successful in explaining a number of outstanding cosmological issues including the flatness, the horizon and the relic issues. More spectacular is the experimental confirmation of the structure as arose from the…
Primordial Gravitational Waves are the next target of modern cosmology. They represent a window on the early Universe and the only probe of the physics and microphysics of the inflationary period. When the production of GWs happens in…
We report on the first 3-dimensional numerical simulations of first-order phase transitions in the early universe to include the cosmic fluid as well as the scalar field order parameter. We calculate the gravitational wave (GW) spectrum…
The inflationary and pre-inflationary evolution of scalar modes of cosmological perturbations in a closed universe is analyzed for a loop quantum cosmology model with an inflationary regime consistent with the constraints on inflation…
Following inflation, the Universe may pass through an early matter-dominated phase supported by the oscillating inflaton condensate. Initially small fluctuations in the condensate grow gravitationally on subhorizon scales and can collapse…
Non-singular bouncing cosmologies are well--motivated models for the early universe. Recent observational data are consistent with positive spatial curvature and allow for a natural collapsing and bouncing phase in the very early universe.…
We present a novel mechanism for gravitational wave generation in the early Universe. Light spectator scalar fields during inflation can acquire a blue-tilted power spectrum due to stochastic effects. We show that this effect can lead to…