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  • Open Access

Phase transitions in the early Universe: Impacts on BBN and CMB observables

Rui Xu, Jiachen Lu, Shihao Deng*, and Ligong Bian†

  • Department of Physics and Chongqing Key Laboratory for Strongly Coupled Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, People’s Republic of China

  • *Contact author: 20232701019@stu.cqu.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: lgbycl@cqu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 095038 – Published 24 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s5kg-lhw8

Abstract

We explore the effects of low-scale cosmological first-order phase transitions (PTs) on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and distortions. We examine two scenarios: the PT energy acts as additional background energy, modifying the expansion history; and serves as energy injection into the baryon-photon fluid, generating CMB spectral distortions while having a negligible effect on the expansion history. Our analysis reveals that the CMB spectrum from the Planck 2018 dataset imposes stringent constraints on sub-MeV-scale PTs, while sub-keV-scale PTs can induce significant CMB distortions. Consequently, BBN and CMB observables serve as complementary tools to constrain PT parameters, alongside gravitational wave detections.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 095038– Published 24 November, 2025
  • Received 1 August 2025
  • Accepted 2 November 2025
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