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Electroweak Phase Transition in the Early Universe ?

Bastian Bergerhoff, Christof Wetterich

hep-pharXiv:hep-ph/9611462

Abstract

Existence and properties of the electroweak phase transition in the early universe depend strongly on the mass of the Higgs scalar MH. There is presumably no true symmetry restoration at high temperature. Nevertheless, a first order phase transition occurs in the standard model for MH smaller than about 70 GeV. For a realistic scalar mass MH larger than about 70 GeV the transition to the high temperature regime is described by a crossover, due to the strong electroweak gauge interactions for temperatures near and above the critical temperature. Electroweak baryogenesis during this transition seems not possible within the standard model. The observed baryon asymmetry in the universe therefore implies the necessity of an extension of the standard model.

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