Related papers: Topological Defects with Non-Symmetric Core
In the framework of the Closed-Time-Path formalism, we show how topological defects may arise in Quantum Field Theory as result of a localized (inhomogeneous) condensation of particles. We demonstrate our approach on two examples; kinks in…
Symmetry-breaking phase transitions are ubiquitous in condensed matter systems and in quantum field theories. There is also good reason to believe that they feature in the very early history of the Universe. At many such transitions…
A new two dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ Supersymmetric Non-Linear Sigma Model describes the dynamics of internal moduli of the BPS semi-local vortex string supported in four dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ SQED. While the core of these…
Study of the Weyl and Dirac topological materials (topological semimetals, insulators, superfluids and superconductors) opens the route for the investigation of the topological quantum vacua of relativistic fields. The symmetric phase of…
In many theories with flat directions of scalar potential, static vortex solutions do not exist for a generic choice of vacuum. In two Euclidean dimensions, we find their substitutes --- constrained instantons consisting of compact core…
We show that the minimal supergravity extension of the standard model automatically contains topologically stable electroweak strings if the hidden sector is invariant under the exact R-symmetry. These defects appear in the form of the…
We study the spontaneous symmetry breaking of O(3) scalar field on a fuzzy sphere $S_F^2$. We find that the fluctuations in the background of topological configurations are finite. This is in contrast to the fluctuations around a uniform…
I present two interesting studies related to the role of solitons in theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking. Quantised fermions coupled to solitons are known to induce fractional fermion number. I present an example where an unstable…
It is well known that continuous symmetries of quantum fields can be realized non-linearly, e.g. in the context of sigma models, and can also be spontaneously broken on non-compact spacetimes. In this note we study how these effects are…
We show that the mechanism of vortex-antivortex pair production via field oscillations, earlier proposed by two of us for systems with first order transitions in presence of explicit symmetry breaking, is in fact very generally applicable.…
I discuss the possibility of topological defect solutions in field theories containing a tensor field which spontaneously breaks Lorentz symmetry. I find that for theories of a tensor with rank r <= 5 and for which the vacuum manifold…
We show that a cosmic string associated with spontaneous $U(1)_R$ symmetry breaking gives a constraint for supersymmetric model building. In some models, the string can be viewed as a tube-like domain wall with a winding number…
We present a set of generalized quantum loop models which provably exhibit topologically stable ergodicity breaking. These results hold for both periodic and open boundary conditions, and derive from a one-form symmetry (notably not being…
If Lorentz symmetry is broken, it must have occurred dynamically, via a vector or tensor field whose potential energy forces it to take on a non-zero background expectation value "in vacuum". If the set of minima of this potential (the…
Discrete symmetries are spatially ubiquitous but are often hidden in internal states of systems where they can have especially profound consequences. In this work we create and verify exotic magnetic phases of atomic spinor Bose-Einstein…
Topological defects are ubiquitous in condensed-matter physics but only hypothetical in the early universe. In spite of this, even an indirect evidence for one of these cosmic objects would revolutionize our vision of the cosmos. We give…
We explore the states of matter arising from the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ non-onsite symmetries. In one spatial dimension, we construct a frustration-free lattice model exhibiting SSB of a non-onsite symmetry,…
In supersymmetric theories, topological defects can have nontrivial behaviors determined purely by whether or not supersymmetry is restored in the defect core. A well-known example of this is that some supersymmetric cosmic strings are…
Topological objects resulting from symmetry breakdown may be either stable or metastable depending on the pattern of symmetry breaking. However, if they trap zero-energy modes of fermions, and in the process acquire non-integer fermionic…
In these lectures, I review cosmological phase transitions and the topological aspects of spontaneous symmetry breaking. I then discuss the formation of walls, strings and monopoles during phase transitions including lattice based studies…