Nonequilibrium framework for first-order phase transitions

Abstract

The first-order phase transition is central to electroweak baryogenesis and gravitational wave generation, yet thermal equilibrium effective potential analyses cannot describe the real-time non-equilibrium dynamics of the phase transition process. We use the Schwinger-Keldysh closed-time-path formalism of real-time finite-temperature field theory to study these effects. For the $ϕ^6$ model, we derive the effective action and the corresponding Langevin equation. We further extend the formalism to the two scalar fields case, obtaining the coupled Langevin equations. These results provide a theoretical framework for the bubble nucleation simulation of the non-equilibrium phase transition process, laying the foundation for reliable predictions of baryogenesis and gravitational wave signals.