Related papers: Multifield Polygonal Bounces
In his 1977 paper on vacuum decay in field theory: The Fate of the False Vacuum, Coleman considered the problem of a single scalar field and assumed that the minimum action tunnelling field configuration, the bounce, is invariant under O(4)…
We propose a mechanism for the enhancement of vacuum fluctuations by means of a classical field. The basic idea is that if an observable quantity depends quadratically upon a quantum field, such as the electric field, then the application…
We device a new method to calculate a large number of Mellin moments of single scale quantities using the systems of differential and/or difference equations obtained by integration-by-parts identities between the corresponding Feynman…
In this talk I review some recent results concerning multi-instanton calculus in supersymmetric field theories. More in detail, I will show how these computations can be efficiently performed using the formalism of topological field…
The stationary phase method is often employed for computing tunneling {\em phase} times of analytically-continuous {\em gaussian} or infinite-bandwidth step pulses which collide with a potential barrier. The indiscriminate utilization of…
We use path-integrals to derive a general expression for the semiclassical approximation to the partition function of a one-dimensional quantum-mechanical system. Our expression depends solely on ordinary integrals which involve the…
We derive the rate for transitions between de Sitter vacua by treating the field theory on the static patch as a thermal system. This reproduces the Coleman-De Luccia formalism for calculating the rate, but leads to a modified…
The problem of inter-band tunneling in a semiconductor (Zener breakdown) in a nonstationary and homogeneous electric field is solved exactly. Using the exact analytical solution, the approximation based on classical trajectories is studied.…
A tunneling bounce driving the decay of a metastable vacuum must respect an integral constraint dictated by simple scaling arguments that is very useful to determine key properties of the bounce. After illustrating how this works in a…
We generalize the standard computation of homogeneous nucleation theory at zero temperature to a scenario in which the bubble shape is determined self-consistently with its quantum fluctuations. Studying two scalar models in 1+1 dimensions,…
We have applied the variational $R$-matrix method to calculate the reflection and tunneling probabilities of particles tunneling through one-dimensional potential barriers for five different types of potential profiles -- truncated linear…
The escape problem is defined in the context of quantum field theory. The escape rate is explicitly derived for a scalar field governed by fluctuation-dissipation dynamics, through generalizing the standard Kramers problem. In the presence…
We consider tunneling processes in QFT induced by collisions of elementary particles. We propose a semiclassical method for estimating the probability of these processes in the limit of very high collision energy. As an illustration, we…
It has recently been shown in high resolution numerical simulations that relativistic collisions of bubbles in the context of a multi-vacua potential may lead to the creation of bubbles in a new vacuum. In this paper, we show that scalar…
We develop an instantonic calculus to derive an analytical expression for the thermally-assisted tunneling decay rate of a metastable state in a fully connected quantum spin model. The tunneling decay problem can be mapped onto the Kramers…
We study the false vacuum decay of a single scalar field $\phi$ coupled to gravity described by the Coleman-de Luccia (CdL) instanton. We show that it is possible to numerically calculate the bounce factor, which is related to the CdL…
Background: Quantum tunneling in many-body systems is the subject of many experimental and theoretical studies in fields ranging from cold atoms to nuclear physics. However, theoretical description of quantum tunneling with strongly…
We revisit the problem of quantum tunneling for a particle moving in the continuum, and in the absence of a magnetic field. In all spatial dimensions, we extend previous results to the case where the single-well potential satisfies…
Much progress has been made in the field of quantum computing using continuous variables over the last couple of years. This includes the generation of extremely large entangled cluster states (10,000 modes, in fact) as well as a fault…
Instanton theory is an established method to calculate rate constants of chemical reactions including atom tunneling. Technical and methodological improvements increased its applicability. Still, a large number of energy and gradient…