QCD-Electroweak First-Order Phase Transition in a Supercooled Universe
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Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
Published on: November 15, 2013
Satoshi Iso1, Pasquale D Serpico2, Kengo Shimada2
1Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Oho 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan.
Abstract:
If the electroweak sector of the standard model is described by classically conformal dynamics, the early Universe evolution can be substantially altered. It is already known that-contrarily to the standard model case-a first-order electroweak phase transition may occur. Here we show that, depending on the model parameters, a dramatically different scenario may happen: A first-order, six massless quark QCD phase transition occurs first, which then triggers the electroweak symmetry breaking. We derive the necessary conditions for this dynamics to occur, using the specific example of the classically conformal B-L model. In particular, relatively light weakly coupled particles are predicted, with implications for collider searches. This scenario is also potentially rich in cosmological consequences, such as renewed possibilities for electroweak baryogenesis, altered dark matter production, and gravitational wave production, as we briefly comment upon.
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