PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves

Abstract In recent years, the prospect of detecting gravitational waves sourced from a strongly first-order cosmological phase transition has emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers of gravitational wave astronomy. Cosmological phase transitions are an essential ingredient in the Standard Mode...

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Main Authors: Peter Athron, Csaba Balázs, Andrew Fowlie, Lachlan Morris, William Searle, Yang Xiao, Yang Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14258-y
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author Peter Athron
Csaba Balázs
Andrew Fowlie
Lachlan Morris
William Searle
Yang Xiao
Yang Zhang
author_facet Peter Athron
Csaba Balázs
Andrew Fowlie
Lachlan Morris
William Searle
Yang Xiao
Yang Zhang
author_sort Peter Athron
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In recent years, the prospect of detecting gravitational waves sourced from a strongly first-order cosmological phase transition has emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers of gravitational wave astronomy. Cosmological phase transitions are an essential ingredient in the Standard Model of particle cosmology, and help explain the mechanism for creation of matter in the early Universe, provide insights into fundamental theories of physics, and shed light on the nature of dark matter. This underscores the significance of developing robust end-to-end tools for determining the resulting gravitational waves from these phase transitions. In this article we present PhaseTracer2, an improved version of the C++ software package PhaseTracer, designed for mapping cosmological phases and transitions in Standard Model extensions of multiple scalar fields. Building on the robust framework of its predecessor, PhaseTracer2 extends its capabilities by including new features crucial for a more comprehensive analysis of cosmological phase transitions. It can calculate more complex properties, such as the bounce action through the path deformation method or an interface with BubbleProfiler, thermodynamic parameters, and gravitational wave spectra. Its applicability has also been broadened via incorporating the dimensionally reduced effective potential for models obtained from DRalgo, as well as calculations in the $$\overline{\text {MS}}$$ MS ¯ and OS-like renormalisation schemes. This modular, flexible, and practical upgrade retains the speed and stability of the original PhaseTracer, while significantly expanding its utility.
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spelling doaj-art-90d5d9bcb0e2495294d57ec9d0bb91fc2025-08-20T03:48:15ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522025-05-0185513510.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14258-yPhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational wavesPeter Athron0Csaba Balázs1Andrew Fowlie2Lachlan Morris3William Searle4Yang Xiao5Yang Zhang6Institute of Theoretical Physics and Institute of Physics Frontiers and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Nanjing Normal UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, Monash UniversityDepartment of Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, Monash UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, Monash UniversitySchool of Physics, Henan Normal UniversitySchool of Physics, Henan Normal UniversityAbstract In recent years, the prospect of detecting gravitational waves sourced from a strongly first-order cosmological phase transition has emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers of gravitational wave astronomy. Cosmological phase transitions are an essential ingredient in the Standard Model of particle cosmology, and help explain the mechanism for creation of matter in the early Universe, provide insights into fundamental theories of physics, and shed light on the nature of dark matter. This underscores the significance of developing robust end-to-end tools for determining the resulting gravitational waves from these phase transitions. In this article we present PhaseTracer2, an improved version of the C++ software package PhaseTracer, designed for mapping cosmological phases and transitions in Standard Model extensions of multiple scalar fields. Building on the robust framework of its predecessor, PhaseTracer2 extends its capabilities by including new features crucial for a more comprehensive analysis of cosmological phase transitions. It can calculate more complex properties, such as the bounce action through the path deformation method or an interface with BubbleProfiler, thermodynamic parameters, and gravitational wave spectra. Its applicability has also been broadened via incorporating the dimensionally reduced effective potential for models obtained from DRalgo, as well as calculations in the $$\overline{\text {MS}}$$ MS ¯ and OS-like renormalisation schemes. This modular, flexible, and practical upgrade retains the speed and stability of the original PhaseTracer, while significantly expanding its utility.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14258-y
spellingShingle Peter Athron
Csaba Balázs
Andrew Fowlie
Lachlan Morris
William Searle
Yang Xiao
Yang Zhang
PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
title PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
title_full PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
title_fullStr PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
title_full_unstemmed PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
title_short PhaseTracer2: from the effective potential to gravitational waves
title_sort phasetracer2 from the effective potential to gravitational waves
url https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14258-y
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AT lachlanmorris phasetracer2fromtheeffectivepotentialtogravitationalwaves
AT williamsearle phasetracer2fromtheeffectivepotentialtogravitationalwaves
AT yangxiao phasetracer2fromtheeffectivepotentialtogravitationalwaves
AT yangzhang phasetracer2fromtheeffectivepotentialtogravitationalwaves