A New Mechanism for Bubble Nucleation: Classical Transitions
High Energy Physics - Theory
2009-12-31 v1 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Abstract
Given a scalar field with metastable minima, bubbles nucleate quantum mechanically. When bubbles collide, energy stored in the bubble walls is converted into kinetic energy of the field. This kinetic energy can facilitate the classical nucleation of new bubbles in minima that lie below those of the "parent" bubbles. This process is efficient and classical, and changes the dynamics and statistics of bubble formation in models with multiple vacua, relative to that derived from quantum tunneling.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0907.3234,
title = {A New Mechanism for Bubble Nucleation: Classical Transitions},
author = {Richard Easther and John T. Giblin and Lam Hui and Eugene A. Lim},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0907.3234},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
4 pages, 4 figures, animations related to figures can be found at http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/personal/jgiblin/BubbleMovies.html