Related papers: Vacuum defects without a vacuum
Symmetries corresponding to local transformations of the fundamental fields that leave the action invariant give rise to (invertible) topological defects, which obey group-like fusion rules. One can construct more general (codimension-one)…
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.…
We construct supersymmetric K field theories (i.e., theories with a non-standard kinetic term) in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions such that the bosonic sector just consists of a nonstandard kinetic term plus a potential. Further, we study the…
This paper is dedicated to studying various aspects of topological defects, appearing in mean-field theory treatments of physical systems such as ultracold atomic gases and gauge field theories. We start by investigating topological charge…
Topological defects are singularities within a field that cannot be removed by continuous transformations. The definition of these irregularities requires an ordered reference configuration, calling into question whether they exist in…
The ordering of scalar fields after a phase transition in which a group $G$ of global symmetries is spontaneously broken to a subgroup $H$ provides a possible explanation for the origin of structure in the universe, as well as leading to…
It is proved that no wormholes can be formed in viable scalar-tensor models of dark energy admitting its phantom-like ($w < -1$) behaviour in cosmology, even in the presence of electric or magnetic fields, if the non-minimal coupling…
We show that a dispiration (a disclination plus a screw dislocation) polarizes the vacuum of a scalar field giving rise to an energy momentum tensor which, as seen from a local inertial frame, presents non vanishing off-diagonal components.…
This is a survey article for the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics, 2nd Edition. Topological defects are described in the context of the 2-dimensional Ising model on the lattice, in 2-dimensional quantum field theory, in topological…
I analyze the interplay of gauge and global symmetries in the theory of topological defects. In a two-dimensional model in which both gauge symmetries and {\it exact} global symmetries are spontaneously broken, stable vortices may fail to…
The coupling of topological matter to topological Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions is considered and a model is presented. It is shown that, contrary to the two-dimensional case, this coupling leads to a breaking of the topological…
In the light of $\phi $--mapping method and topological current theory, the topological structure and the topological quantization of arbitrary dimensional topological defects are investigated. It is pointed out that the topological quantum…
We study various aspects of codimension one defects in free scalar field theory, with particular emphasis on line defects in two-dimensions. These defects are generically non-conformal, but include conformal and topological defects as…
A singular configuration of external static magnetic field in the form of a pointlike vortex polarizes the vacuum of quantized massless spinor field in 2+1-dimensional space-time. This results in an analogue of the Bohm-Aharonov effect: the…
We review recent results concerning general properties of higher dimensional black holes. The topics selected with particular focus are those concerning topology, symmetry, and uniqueness properties of asymptotically flat vacuum black holes…
We consider the possibility for phases of matter in which a continuous symmetry is spontaneously broken in a \emph{topologically non-trivial} way, which, roughly, means that the action for the Goldstone modes contains a quantized…
Tunneling in quantum field theory is well understood in the case of a single scalar field. However, in theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking, one has to take into account the additional zero modes which appear due to the Goldstone…
We consider dynamics of a scalar field in compactification scenario of Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet cosmology. It is shown that if the field is non-minimally coupled to curvature, its asymptotic value under certain conditions may be shifted from…
I describe the general mathematical construction and physical picture of topological black holes, which are black holes whose event horizons are surfaces of non-trivial topology. The construction is carried out in an arbitrary number of…
In this work we investigate the role of the symmetry of the Lagrangian on the existence of defects in systems of coupled scalar fields. We focus attention mainly on solutions where defects may nest defects. When space is non-compact we find…