Quantum state of a nucleating bubble
Creators
- 1. Tufts Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155 (USA)
Description
We consider a field theory consisting of two interacting scalar fields: σ and Φ. The scalar field σ is assumed to undergo a first-order phase transition via the nucleation of bubbles. We solve the Schroedinger equation for the combined system of a bubble plus the field Φ with appropriate boundary conditions. This allows us to determine the quantum state of the field Φ in the background of the nucleating and subsequently expanding bubble. The simplest description of this quantum state is obtained in the picture where Φ is represented as an infinite set of massive scalar fields in a (2+1)-dimensional de Sitter space. We show that the bubble nucleates with all these fields in de Sitter-invariant quantum states and that the resulting quantum state of the field Φ is Lorentz invariant
Additional details
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Physical Review, D
- Journal Volume
- 43
- Journal Issue
- 12
- Series
- Phys. Rev., D.
- Journal Page Range
- 3846-3855
- ISSN
- 0556-2821
- CODEN
- PRVDA
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- United States
- INIS RN
- 22073763
- Subject category
- S71: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS;
- Descriptors DEI
- BOUNDARY CONDITIONS; BUBBLES; EUCLIDEAN SPACE; LORENTZ INVARIANCE; NUCLEATION; PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS; PROBABILITY; QUANTUM FIELD THEORY; SCALAR FIELDS; SCHROEDINGER EQUATION; SEMICLASSICAL APPROXIMATION; SPACE-TIME; THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; VACUUM STATES
- Descriptors DEC
- DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS; EQUATIONS; FIELD THEORIES; INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES; MATHEMATICAL SPACE; PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS; RIEMANN SPACE; SPACE; WAVE EQUATIONS