Primordial Gravitational Waves from Cosmic Phase Transitions

This thesis is a review of primordial gravitational waves from the cosmic electroweak phase transition. We review the theory of gravitational waves, inflation, and the generation of gravitational waves through perturbations in the early universe. We then have a look at the Weinberg-Salam model of the electroweak interaction, thermal quantum field theory, and tunnelling in quantum field theory. We then review the theory of cosmic electroweak phase transition in the early universe and how it leads to the generation of gravitational waves.