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We study the prospects for probing the Nnaturalness solution to the electroweak hierarchy problem with future gravitational wave observatories. Nnaturalness, in its simplest incarnation, predictsNcopies of the Standard Model with varying Higgs mass parameters. We show that in certain parameter regions the scalar reheaton transfers a substantial energy density to the sector with the smallest positive Higgs squared mass while remaining consistent with bounds on additional effective relativistic species. In this sector, all six quarks are much lighter than the corresponding QCD confinement scale, allowing for the possibility of a first-order chiral symmetry-breaking phase transition and an associated stochastic gravitational wave signal. We consider several scenarios characterizing the strongly-coupled phase transition dynamics and estimate the gravitational wave spectrum for each. Pulsar timing arrays (SKA), spaced-based interferometers (BBO, Ultimate-DECIGO,μAres, asteroid ranging), and astrometric measurements (THEIA) all have the potential to explore new regions of Nnaturalness parameter space, complementing probes from next generation cosmic microwave background radiation experiments.
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Electroweak phase transition with spontaneous Z2-breaking
A bstract This work investigates a simple, representative extension of the Standard Model with a real scalar singlet and spontaneous Z 2 breaking, which allows for a strongly first-order phase transition, as required by electroweak baryogenesis. We perform analytical and numerical calculations that systematically include one-loop thermal effects, Coleman-Weinberg corrections, and daisy resummation, as well as evaluation of bubble nucleation. We study the rich thermal history and identify the conditions for a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition with nearly degenerate extrema at zero temperature. This requires a light scalar with mass below 50 GeV. Exotic Higgs decays, as well as Higgs coupling precision measurements at the LHC and future collider facilities, will test this model. Additional information may be obtained from future collider constraints on the Higgs self-coupling. Gravitational-wave signals are typically too low to be probed by future gravitational wave experiments.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1914731
- PAR ID:
- 10273136
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of High Energy Physics
- Volume:
- 2020
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 1029-8479
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP08(2020)107
