Gravitational wave predictions for tests of the electroweak phase transition

Understanding the thermal history of the electroweak sector is an important objective for both particle physics and cosmology, and one which is intimately connected to other fundamental questions, such as the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry. The Higgs boson lies at the centre of this, being responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking, through which it lends mass to the other elementary particles of the Standard Model.

A first-order electroweak phase transition would provide the departure from equilibrium necessary for creation of the matter-antimatter asymmetry. In addition, the expansion and collisions of bubbles during the transition would have produced a stochastic gravitational wave background, observable in the mHz frequency range today.

PhD projects in this area would be theoretical, and would aim to develop the underlying quantum field theory description of cosmological phase transitions. This is crucial for making reliable predictions for future gravitational wave observatories. Projects may focus on analytical or numerical approaches, and a specific project would be formulated after discussions with the student, taking into account their skills and interests. This PhD studentship is led by Oliver Gould.