Maximal temperature of strongly-coupled dark sectors

Abstract: Taking axion inflation as an example, we estimate the maximal temperature (

T_{m m a x}^{}

) that can be reached in the post-inflationary universe, as a function of the confinement scale of a non-Abelian dark sector (

L a m b d a_{m I R}^{}

). Below a certain threshold

L a m b d a_{m I R}^{} < L a m b d a_{m 0}^{} s i m 2 i m e s 1 0_{}^{- 8} m_{m p l}^{}

, the system heats up to

T_{m m a x}^{} s i m L a m b d a_{m 0}^{} > T_{m c}^{}

, and a first-order thermal phase transition takes place. On the other hand, if

L a m b d a_{m I R}^{} > L a m b d a_{m 0}^{}

, then

T_{m m a x}^{} s i m L a m b d a_{m I R}^{} < T_{m c}^{}

: very high temperatures can be reached, but there is no phase transition. If the inflaton thermalizes during heating-up (which we find to be unlikely), or if the plasma includes light degrees of freedom, then heat capacity and entropy density are larger, and

T_{m m a x}^{}

is lowered towards

L a m b d a_{m 0}^{}

. The heating-up dynamics generates a gravitational wave background. Its contribution to

N_{m e f f}^{}

at GHz frequencies, the presence of a monotonic

s i m f_{m 0}^{3}

shape at

(1 0_{}^{- 4} - 1 0_{}^{2}),

Hz frequencies, and the frequency domain of peaked features that may originate via first-order phase transitions, are discussed.

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