Biased domain walls: faster annihilation, weaker gravitational waves

Abstract: We study the evolution of domain wall networks and their phenomenological implications in a model of a real scalar $\chi$, where a $Z_2$-symmetry is slightly broken by a potential bias $V_{bias}$. It is demonstrated that the latter triggers domain wall annihilation considerably earlier than previously thought. Namely, we observe that the scaling relation $t_{ann} \propto 1/V^{2/3}_{bias}$ for the annihilation time $t_{ann}$ fits to the simulation data better than a commonly assumed $t_{ann} \propto 1/V_{bias}$. As a result, the energy density of gravitational waves produced by the network of biased domain walls, for a given tiny $V_{bias}$, is suppressed compared to naive expectations. The spectral shape of gravitational waves is similar to that resulting from unbiased domain walls, but with more power in the close-to-maximum ultraviolet part. In the far ultraviolet region, the spectrum of gravitational waves becomes nearly flat; such a plateau has been recognised earlier in the case of unbiased walls. In our investigation we mainly focus on the symmetry breaking potential $V_{breaking} \propto \chi^3$, and argue that no significant modifications of the domain walls evolution take place if one includes higher powers of $\chi$.