Bubble dynamics in a strong first-order quark-hadron transition *

We investigate the dynamics of a strong first-order quark-hadron transition driven by cubic interactions via homogeneous bubble nucleation in the Friedberg-Lee model. The one-loop effective thermodynamic potential of the model and the critical bubble profiles have been calculated at different temperatures and chemical potentials. By taking the temperature and the chemical potential as variables, the evolutions of the surface tension, the typical radius of the critical bubble, and the shift in the coarse-grained free energy in the presence of a nucleation bubble are obtained, and the limit on the reliability of the thin-wall approximation is also addressed accordingly. Our results are compared to those obtained for a weak first-order quark-hadron phase transition; in particular, the spinodal decomposition is relevant.

Automated summary

This study investigates the dynamics of a strong first-order quark-hadron transition driven by cubic interactions in the Friedberg-Lee model, focusing on homogeneous bubble nucleation. Results show the effects of temperature and chemical potential on surface tension, critical bubble radius, and shift in coarse-grained free energy, along with addressing the limit on the reliability of the thin-wall approximation. A comparison is made with results from a weak first-order quark-hadron phase transition, highlighting the relevance of spinodal decomposition.