Gravitational Waves from Incomplete Inflationary Phase Transitions

Understand

We study the observable implications of an incomplete first order phase transition during inflation.

• In such a phase transition, the nucleated bubbles do not percolate and instead are continuously produced until the onset of reheating.
• The process creates an inhomogeneity with a distinct power spectrum that depends on both the physics of the phase transition and the inflationary dynamics.
• Upon horizon re-entry, this spectrum generates gravitational waves through non-linear effects.