Dynamics of Subcritical Bubbles in First Order Phase Transition

Abstract

We derivate the Langevin and the Fokker-Planck equations for the radius of $O(3)$-symmetric subcritical bubbles as a phenomenological model to treat thermal fluctuation. The effect of thermal noise on subcritical bubbles is examined. We find that the fluctuation-dissipation relation holds and that in the high temperature phase the system settles down rapidly to the thermal equilibrium state even if it was in a nonequilibrium state initially. We then estimate the typical size of subcritical bubbles as well as the amplitude of fluctuations on that scale. We also discuss their implication to the electroweak phase transition.