Speaker
Gaurang Ramakant Kane
(Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford)
Description
The thermal deconfinement-confinement transition in SU(N) gauge theory is known to be first-order for N ≥ 3, but the dynamics of this transition are poorly understood. Lattice data indicates the presence of a small coefficient in the exponent of the nucleation rate which likely strongly alters the phase transition dynamics. In this talk, I discuss our study in arXiv:2508.10091 that provides evidence that the small coefficient originates from a deconfined phase instability just below the critical temperature. I will also discuss its likely implications for possible future gravitational wave observations arising from such phase transitions in the early universe.
Authors
Gaurang Ramakant Kane
(Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford)
Prof.
John March-Russell
(University of Oxford)
Prof.
Prateek Agrawal
(University of California, Santa Barbara)
Dr
Vazha Loladze
(University of Oxford)
