arXiv subjects

Flynn Linton

Publications and source records attributed to Flynn Linton.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

HydroGrav: Precise hydrodynamics and gravitational waves for cosmological phase transitions

We present HydroGrav, a C++ code used to construct self-similar fluid profiles, using the exact equation of state determined directly from the effective potential, for any particle physics model capable of producing a first-order electroweak phase transition. HydroGrav also supports the bag and $\mu\nu$ (or improved bag) equations of state and includes an implementation of the sound shell model for computing the corresponding gravitational wave spectra. Using this framework, we compare the fluid profiles and gravitational wave spectra for the simplified (bag and $\mu\nu$) and exact equations of state for a $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetric extension of the Standard Model. Furthermore, we perform a scan across the parameter space of this model to identify regions where the simplified and exact equations of state differ in peak amplitude and spectral shape. Finally, we estimate the effect of using the exact equation of state on the signal-to-noise ratio across the parameter space, as measured by LISA after a 4-year mission.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Gravitational waves decohere quantum superpositions

Understanding the interplay between quantum mechanical systems and gravity is a crucial step towards unifying these two fundamental ideas. Recent theoretical developments have explored how global properties of spacetime would cause a quantum spatial superposition to lose coherence. In particular, this loss of coherence is closely related to the memory effect, which is a prominent feature of gravitational radiation. In this work, we explore how a burst of gravitational radiation from a far-away source would decohere a quantum superposition. We identify the individual contributions to the decoherence from the memory and oscillatory components of the gravitational wave source, corresponding to soft and hard graviton emissions, respectively. In general, the memory contributions dominate, while the oscillatory component of the decoherence is strongly dependent on the phase of the burst when it is switched off. This work demonstrates how quantum systems can lose coherence from interactions with a classical gravitational field. We also comment on the electromagnetic analogue of this effect and discuss its correspondence to the gravitational case.

gr-qc↗