Particle Physics on the Plains​ 2018

Multistep Single-Field Strong Phase Transitions from New TeV Scale Fermions

13 Oct 2018, 11:15

20m

1160 Integrated Science Building (University of Kansas)

Higgs Physics II

Speaker

Andrei Angelescu (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Description

In spite of the vast literature on the subject of strongly first order Electroweak Phase Transitions (SFOEWPT), which can provide the necessary conditions for generating the Baryon Asymmetry in the Universe, fermion-induced SFOEWPTs still remain a rather uncharted territory. In this talk, we consider a simple fermionic extension of the Standard Model (SM) involving one $SU(2{)}_L$ doublet and two singlet Vector-Like Leptons (VLLs), strongly coupled to the Higgs scalar and with masses close to the TeV scale. We show how such a simple scenario can give rise to a non-trivial thermal history of the Universe, involving strongly first order multistep phase transitions occurring at temperatures close to the electroweak (EW) scale. Finally, we investigate the distinct Gravitational Wave (GW) signatures of these phase transitions at future GW detectors, such as eLISA, and briefly discuss how the VLLs can be searched for at the LHC.

Presentation materials

angelescu_plains2018.pdf