Instability and subsequent evolution of electroweak bubbles

1992/08/04 by Marc Kamionkowski, Katherine Freese · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Baryogenesis #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Bubble #Condensed matter physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Detonation #Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution #Electroweak interaction #Explosive material #Instability #Mechanics #Particle physics #Phase transition #Physics #RADIUS #Supersonic speed #astro-ph #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.69.2743

published as Phys.Rev.Lett. 69 (1992) 2743-2746 · 9 pages (IASSNS-HEP-92-46)

arxiv created 1992/08/04 · openalex publication_date 1992/11/09 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Bubbles in a first-order electroweak phase transition are nucleated with radii R₀ and expand with velocity v. If v is subsonic, a bubble becomes unstable to nonspherical perturbations when its radius is roughly 10⁴R₀. These perturbations acclerate the transition, and the effective velocity of bubble growth rapidly becomes supersonic. The transition should subsequently proceed spherically via detonation. If for some reason the onset of detonation is postponed, the surface area of the bubbles may be enhanced by 10⁵. We discuss consequences for electroweak baryogenesis.

Citations

• The Fractal Geometry of Nature
• On anomalous electroweak baryon-number non-conservation in the early universe

Cited by

• Bubble growth as a detonation
• Friction forces on phase transition fronts
• Phenomenology of electroweak bubbles and gravitational waves in the littlest Higgs model withTparity