Related papers: Saddle-point approximation to the false vacuum dec…
In the calculation of the decay rate at finite temperature using the saddle point approximation, we identified some inconsistencies in the calculation of the decay rate at zero temperature. These inconsistencies may impact the explanation…
We present the calculation of the Feynman path integral in real time for tunneling in quantum mechanics and field theory, including the first quantum corrections. For this purpose, we use the well-known fact that Euclidean saddle points in…
We present a formalism for semiclassical time evolution in quantum mechanics, building on a century of work. We identify complex saddle points in real time, real saddle points in complex time, and complex saddle points in complex time that…
In flat space and at finite temperature, there are two regimes of false vacuum decay in quantum field theory. At low temperature, the decay proceeds through thermally-assisted tunneling described by periodic Euclidean solutions -- bounces…
The seminal work of Coleman, Glaser, and Martin established that, at zero temperature, any non-trivial solution to the equations of motion with the least Euclidean action is $O(D)$-symmetric. This paper extends their foundational analysis…
We develop a finite temperature field theory formalism in any dimension that has the filling fractions as the basic dynamical variables. The formalism efficiently decouples zero temperature dynamics from the quantum statistical sums. The…
In the saddle point approximation, the Euclidean path integral for quantum gravity closely resembles a thermodynamic partition function, with the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ playing the role of temperature and the ``density of…
In this work, I consider N-component scalar quantum field theory in two dimensions interacting with an upside-down quartic potential. Working in the large N limit, the model can be solved non-perturbatively using the saddle-point method for…
We investigate false vacuum decay of a relativistic scalar field initialized in the metastable minimum of an asymmetric double-well potential. The transition to the true ground state is a well-defined initial-value problem in real time,…
We present a fully analytical calculation of the false vacuum decay rate for a self-interacting scalar field in the thin-wall approximation. We obtain the bounce solution, together with the Euclidean action, counter-terms and…
The semiclassical Euclidean path integral method is applied to compute the low temperature quantum decay rate for a particle placed in the metastable minimum of a cubic potential in a {\it finite} time theory. The classical path, which…
We present a general numerical method for computing precisely the false vacuum decay rate, including the prefactor due to quantum fluctuations about the classical bounce solution, in a self-interacting scalar field theory modeling the…
Instantons, localised saddle points of the action, play an important role in describing non-perturbative aspects of quantum field theories, for example vacuum decay or violation of conservation laws associated with anomalous symmetries.…
In recent articles [Mishima et al., Phys. Rev. A, 66, 033401(2002); Chao, Phys. Rev. A, 72, 053414 (2005)] it was proposed to use the residue theorem for the exact calculation of the transition amplitude describing strong-field ionization…
The decay rate of a metastable vacuum is usually calculated using a semiclassical approximation to the Euclidean path integral. The extension to a complete Euclidean lattice Monte Carlo computation, however, is hampered by analytic…
We examine the computation of the nucleation barrier used in the expression for false vacuum decay rates in finite temperature field theory. By a detailed analysis of the determinantal prefactor, we show that the correct bounce solution…
We numerically study the evolution of a classical real scalar field in ${(1+1)}$ dimensions with initial conditions describing thermal fluctuations around a metastable vacuum. We track false vacuum decay in real time and compare several…
The application of the conventional saddle-point approximation to condensed Bose gases is thwarted by the approach of the saddle-point to the ground-state singularity of the grand canonical partition function. We develop and test a variant…
We present a new approach to study the thermodynamic properties of $d$-dimensional classical systems by reducing the problem to the computation of ground state properties of a $d$-dimensional quantum model. This classical-to-quantum mapping…
We calculate finite-temperature corrections to the decay rate of a generic neutral (pseudo)scalar particle that decays into (pseudo)scalars or fermion-antifermion pairs. The ratio of the finite-temperature decay rate to the zero-temperature…