First Order Phase Transition Induced Graviton Bremsstrahlung: A Multi Peak Gravitational Wave Signature

Abstract

Gravitational waves (GWs) from first order phase transitions (FOPTs) are conventionally sourced by bubble collisions, sound waves, and plasma turbulence. We propose a novel microscopic GW source arising from graviton bremsstrahlung during the decay of the scalar field driving the FOPT. In the presence of Yukawa interactions with light fermions, the scalar decay is inevitably accompanied by graviton emission due to the universal coupling of gravity to the energy-momentum tensor. We show that these gravitons generate an additional stochastic GW background during the phase-transition epoch, complementing the conventional FOPT signal. The resulting GW spectrum can exhibit a characteristic multi-peaked structure. Unlike scenarios in which different GW components originate from distinct cosmological epochs, all contributions considered here emerge from the dynamics of the same FOPT, offering a unique probe of both its microscopic particle dynamics and macroscopic plasma evolution.