Fate of the false vacuum: Semiclassical theory
Abstract
It is possible for a classical field theory to have two homogeneous stable equilibrium states with different energy densities. In the quantum version of the theory, the state of higher energy density becomes unstable through barrier penetration; it is a false vacuum. This is the first of two papers developing the qualitative and quantitative semiclassical theory of the decay of such a false vacuum for theories of a single scalar field with nonderivative interactions. In the limit of vanishing energy density between the two ground states, it is possible to obtain explicit expressions for the relevant quantities to leading order in $h$; in the more general case, the problem can be reduced to solving a single nonlinear ordinary differential equation.
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O(4)-symmetric saddle points, representing bubbles of true vacuum developing in a false vacuum, are allowed only in the situation of non-degenerate vacua.
“We note here that O (4)-symmetric saddle points, representing bubbles of true vacuum developing in a false vacuum, are allowed in the situation of non-degenerate vacua only [14, 15]”
From Double-well instantons in finite volume (2024) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- Coleman, S.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Coleman, Sidney
- Venue
- Physical Review D
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Published
- 1977-05-15
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 2929-2936
- ISSN
- 0556-2821 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1599870874
- Cited by
- 2,552
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 92 · 2025: 89 · 2024: 141 · 2023: 110 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 112 · 2020: 94 · 2019: 95 · 2018: 114 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 101 · 2015: 77 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 63 · 2012: 69
- FWCI
- 12.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Aspen Center for Physics
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Black Holes and Theoretical Physics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
- Keywords
- false vacuum decay, semiclassical theory, quantum tunneling, barrier penetration, scalar field theory, vacuum stability, energy density, nonlinear ordinary differential equations
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