Bubble Nucleation with Loop and Gravity Effects: Refining Gravitational-Waves Predictions
IFPU
May 4 – May 8, 2026
This team research addresses cosmological first-order phase transitions and their observable sig- natures. Its first work package focuses on improving predictions for pulsar timing array signals by reducing uncertainties in thermal nucleation rates, exploring both conventional and classically conformal models, and ensuring consistency with cosmological constraints. The second work pack- age investigates primordial black hole formation during these transitions, emphasizing the role of gravitational effects on bubble nucleation, percolation dynamics, and collapse thresholds.
Participants:
- Maciej Kierkla (Uppsala University)
- Nicklas Ramberg (SISSA)
- Philipp Schicho (University of Geneva)
- Daniel Schmitt (Goethe University Frankfurt)