PeV-scale leptogenesis, gravitational waves, and black holes from a SUSY-breaking phase transition

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a highly motivated theoretical framework, whose scale of breaking may be at petaelectronvolt (PeV) energies, to be consistent with null searches at the Large Hadron Collider. SUSY breaking through a first-order phase transition may have occurred in the early universe, leading to potential gravitational wave signals. Constructing a realistic model for gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, we show that such a transition can also induce masses for heavy right-handed neutrinos and sneutrinos, whose CP-violating decays give leptogenesis at the PeV scale, and a novel mechanism of neutrino mass generation at one loop. For the same models we predict the possible gravitational wave signals, and we study the possibility of production of primordial black holes during the phase transition.

Automated summary

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a theoretical framework that suggests the scale of its breaking can be at petaelectronvolt (PeV) energies, in order to be consistent with experimental searches at the Large Hadron Collider. The breaking of SUSY through a first-order phase transition in the early universe can result in the production of gravitational waves. By constructing a realistic model for gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, it is shown that such a transition can also induce masses for heavy right-handed neutrinos and sneutrinos, and lead to leptogenesis and a novel mechanism for neutrino mass generation at the PeV scale. Additionally, the possible production of primordial black holes during the phase transition is also studied.