Related papers: False vacuum decay with gravity in a critical case
In the framework of massive gravity with a de Sitter reference metric, we study homogeneous and isotropic solutions with positive spatial curvature. Remarkably, we find that bounces can occur when cosmological matter satisfies the strong…
In contrast to the inflaton's case, the curvature perturbations due to the curvaton field depend strongly on the evolution of the curvaton before its decay. We study in detail the dynamics of the curvaton evolution during and after…
It is shown how metastable de Sitter vacua might arise from heterotic M-theory. The balancing of its two non-perturbative effects, open membrane instantons against gaugino condensation on the hidden boundary, which act with opposing forces…
We consider a nonsingular deflationary cosmological model with decaying vacuum energy density in universes of arbitrary spatial curvature. Irrespective of the value of $k$, the models are characterized by an arbitrary time scale $H_I^{-1}$…
We investigate various types of Fubini instantons in Dilatonic Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory of gravitation, which describe the decay of the vacuum state at a hilltop potential through the tunneling without a barrier. It is shown that the…
In this paper, $F(\nu)$ cosmology is proposed for the accelerating universe with asymptotic de Sitter expansion in terms of Hankel function index $\nu$. To some extent, both the initial expansion during early inflation and the current…
The previously proposed modification of the standard (flat) inflationary $\Lambda CDM$ model in which the inflaton field(s) and ``dark energy" are replaced by the vacum in expanding Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker Universe is studied.…
We explore an effective 4D cosmological model for the universe where the variable cosmological constant governs its evolution and the pressure remains negative along all the expansion. This model is introduced from a 5D vacuum state where…
Methods and concepts for the study of phase transitions mediated by a time-dependent order-parameter field in curved spacetimes are discussed. A practical example is the derivation of an effective (quasi-)potential for the description of…
The {\em instability of vacuum energy} in de Sitter space as discussed recently by Polyakov is argued to be a generic feature when external gravitational fields are present. It is related to the existence of {\em forbidden} (by momentum…
We study a broad class of isotropic vacuum cosmologies in fourth-order gravity under the condition that the gravitational Lagrangian be scale-invariant or almost scale-invariant. The gravitational Lagrangians considered will be of the form…
Studying the critical scalar theory in four dimensional Euclidean space with the potential term $-g\phi^4$ we show that the theory can not be analytically continued through g=0 from g<0 region to g>0 region. For g>0 although energy is not…
The Euclidean Nariai geometry has long been proposed as the instanton describing the nucleation of maximal-mass black holes in de Sitter space. We place this interpretation on firmer footing by showing that, once an observer is included,…
According to the current experimental data, the Higgs vacuum appears to be metastable due to the development of a second lower ground state in its potential. Consequently, vacuum decay would induce the nucleation of true vacuum bubbles with…
Recently, questions have been raised about the role of Lorentz invariance in false vacuum decay. It has been argued that infinities may arise in an integration over Lorentz-boosted final states. This suggestion motivates a Minkowski-space…
We discuss the notion that quantum fields may induce an effective time-dependent cosmological constant which decays from a large initial value. It is shown that such cosmological models are viable in a non-de Sitter spacetime.
Realizations of scale invariance are studied in the context of a gravitational theory where the action (in the first order formalism) is of the form $S = \int L_{1} \Phi d^{4}x$ + $\int L_{2}\sqrt{-g}d^{4}x$ where $\Phi$ is a density built…
Whenever the condition of anomaly freedom is imposed within the framework of effective approaches to loop quantum cosmology, one seems to conclude that a deformation of general covariance is required. Here, starting from a general…
We discuss inflaton decay in supergravity, taking account of the gravitational effects. It is shown that, if the inflaton has a nonzero vacuum expectation value, it generically couples to any matter fields that appear in the superpotential…
Massless interacting scalar fields in de Sitter space have long been known to experience large fluctuations over length scales larger than Hubble distances. A similar situation arises in condensed matter physics in the vicinity of a…