https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5791-3
Letter
Hydrodynamic fluctuations from a weakly coupled scalar field
AEC, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
* e-mail: laine@itp.unibe.ch
Received:
8
March
2018
Accepted:
8
April
2018
Published online:
18
April
2018
Studies of non-equilibrium dynamics of first-order cosmological phase transitions may involve a scalar field interacting weakly with the energy-momentum tensor of a thermal plasma. At late times, when the scalar field is approaching equilibrium, it experiences both damping and thermal fluctuations. We show that thermal fluctuations induce a shear viscosity and a gravitational wave production rate, and propose that including this tunable contribution may help in calibrating the measurement of the gravitational wave production rate in hydrodynamic simulations. Furthermore it may enrich their physical scope, permitting in particular for a study of the instability of growing bubbles.
© The Author(s), 2018
