Quantum Statistical Metastability Revisited
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
2007-05-23 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory
Abstract
We calculate the decay rate for a state prepared in a thermal density matrix centered on a metastable ground state. We find a rate that is intrinsically time {\it dependent}, as opposed to the {\it constant} rates of previous works. The rate vanishes at early times, rises to a maximum and eventually falls-off to zero as a consequence of unitary time evolution. Finally, we discuss extensions of this calculation to field theories and possible implications for both sphaleron mediated transitions and first order inflationary theories.
Cite
@article{arxiv.hep-ph/9305242,
title = {Quantum Statistical Metastability Revisited},
author = {D. Boyanovsky and R. Holman and D. -S. Lee and J. P. Silva and A. Singh},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-ph/9305242},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
LaTex, 14 pages, 3 figures (available upon request), CMU-HEP93-08, PITT-93-04