Scalar induced gravitational waves as probes of dark QCD

Abstract

We investigate scalar induced gravitational waves (SIGWs) as probes of a dark QCD crossover. Motivated by twin Higgs and asymmetric twin baryon dark matter scenarios, we consider a dark QCD sector with a confinement scale approximately 5.5 times the Standard Model (SM) QCD scale. We construct the effective energy and entropy degrees of freedom for the SM supplemented by dark QCD sectors containing either three light dark quark flavors or all six dark quark flavors. The resulting equation of state parameter and sound speed are then used to solve the first-order scalar perturbations and the second-order SIGWs through the SM and dark QCD crossover epochs. For a monochromatic primordial curvature power spectrum, we first demonstrate that the realistic SM thermal history modifies the SIGW spectrum relative to the idealized radiation-dominated case. We then show that a dark QCD crossover generates an additional frequency-shifted distortion when the enhanced scalar mode reenters the horizon near the dark confinement scale. This distinctive feature can therefore serve as a characteristic signature of the dark QCD sector. Our results demonstrate that SIGWs provide a complementary cosmological probe of hidden confining sectors, with characteristic spectral features shifted to higher frequencies relative to the SM QCD imprint. The analysis developed in this work can also be extended to other well-motivated theories containing different dark confining sectors.