Related papers: Instantons with Quantum Core
We consider the decay of a false vacuum in circumstances where the methods suggested by Coleman run into difficulties. We find that in these cases quantum fluctuations play a crucial role. Namely, they naturally induce both an ultraviolet…
We study the fate of a false vacuum in the case of a potential that contains a portion which is quartic and unbounded. We first prove that an $O(4)$ invariant instanton with the Coleman boundary conditions does not exist in this case. This,…
We identify infinite classes of potentials for which the Coleman instantons do not exist. For these potentials, the decay of a false vacuum must be described by the new instantons introduced in [7,8].
We identify an infinite class of unbounded potentials for which the Coleman instantons do not exist in D-dimensional spacetime. For such potentials, the decay of a false vacuum is described by the new instantons introduced in [5,6,4]. For…
We develop a new method for estimating the decay probability of the false vacuum via regularized instantons. Namely, we consider the case where the potential is either unbounded from below or the second minimum corresponding to the true…
Recently, it was shown that in the absence of gravity there exist non-$O(4)$-symmetric instanton solutions with finite action beyond Coleman's instantons. In this paper, focusing on the false-vacuum decay in a single scalar field in flat…
We propose two new classes of instantons which describe the tunneling and/or quantum creation of closed and open universes. The instantons leading to an open universe can be considered as generalizations of the Coleman-De-Luccia solution.…
Instantons are tunneling solutions that connect two vacua, and under a small change in the potential, instantons sometimes disappear. We classify these disappearances as smooth (decay rate goes to 0 at disappearance) or abrupt (decay rate…
In quantum mechanics and quantum field theory perturbation theory generically requires the inclusion of extra contributions non-perturbative in the coupling, such as instantons, to reproduce exact results. We show how full non-perturbative…
In the absence of gravity, Coleman's theorem states that the $O(4)$-symmetric instanton solution, which is regular at the origin and exponentially decays at infinity, gives the lowest action. Perturbatively, this implies that any small…
In this paper, we study Einstein gravity with a minimally coupled scalar field accompanied with a potential, assuming an O(4) symmetric metric ansatz. We call an Euclidean instanton is to be an oscillating instanton, if there exists a point…
Instantons play a crucial role in understanding non-perturbative dynamics in quantum field theories, including those with spontaneously broken gauge symmetries. In the broken phase, finite-size instanton-like configurations are no longer…
I provide some simple physical arguments that, once gravitation and some subtleties are taken into account, rather broad classes of potentials result in instantons which tunnel relatively rapidly between perturbatively stable minima. In…
We investigate the cosmological signatures of instantons mediating tunneling between de Sitter minima. For generic potentials the Coleman-de Luccia instanton does not necessarily exist; when it does not, the instanton which contributes to…
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle results in one of the strangest quantum behaviors: an oscillator can never truly be at rest. Even in its lowest energy state, at a temperature of absolute zero, its position and momentum are still subject…
This paper studies the decay of a large, closed domain wall in a closed universe. Such walls can form in the presence of a broken, discrete symmetry. We introduce a novel process of quantum decay for such a wall, in which the vacuum…
Recently it has been argued that a correct reading of the quantum fluctuations of the vacuum could lead to a solution to the cosmological constant problem. In this work we critically examine such a proposal, finding it questionable due to…
In the study of quantum-mechanical tunneling processes, numerous approaches have been developed to determine the decay rate of states initially confined within a metastable potential region. Virtually all analytical treatments, however,…
We study the quantum-mechanical tunneling phenomenon in models which include the existence of non-equivalent vacua. For such a purpose we evaluate the euclidean propagator between two minima of the potential at issue in terms of the…
We explore the stability of certain many-body quantum states which may exist at zero or finite temperatures, may lack long-range order and even topological order, and still are thermodynamically distinct from uncorrelated disordered phases.…