Abstract
False vacuum decay in quantum mechanical first order phase transitions is a phenomenon with wide implications in cosmology and presents interesting theoretical challenges. In the standard approach, it is assumed that false vacuum decay proceeds through the formation of bubbles that nucleate at random positions in spacetime and subsequently expand. In this paper, we investigate the presence of correlations between bubble nucleation sites using a recently proposed semiclassical stochastic description of vacuum decay. This procedure samples vacuum fluctuations, which are then evolved using classical lattice simulations. We compute the two-point function for bubble nucleation sites from an ensemble of simulations, demonstrating that nucleation sites cluster in a way that is qualitatively similar to peaks in random Gaussian fields. We qualitatively assess the phenomenological implications of bubble clustering in early Universe phase transitions, which include features in the power spectrum of stochastic gravitational waves and an enhancement or suppression of the probability of observing bubble collisions in the eternal inflation scenario.
Highlights
Relativistic first order phase transitions take place in field theories with a potential that has a high energy false vacuum and a low energy true vacuum state; such theories are ubiquitous in physics beyond the Standard Model
We investigate the presence of correlations between bubble nucleation sites using a recently proposed semiclassical stochastic description of vacuum decay
The semiclassical stochastic treatment of vacuum decay makes it possible to investigate issues related to the dynamics of bubble formation that have previously been inaccessible
Summary
Relativistic first order phase transitions take place in field theories with a potential that has a high energy false vacuum and a low energy true vacuum state; such theories are ubiquitous in physics beyond the Standard Model. The field configuration in each realization is sampled at late times, in some realizations, bubbles of the true vacuum form This procedure yields a semiclassical approximation to the first order phase transition dynamics leading to the decay of the false vacuum. Both the real-time semiclassical and instanton methods are semiclassical approximations, it is still an open question precisely how these two approaches are related; see Refs. It is easier to nucleate bubbles from a region of space where the field is closer to the true vacuum This runs contrary to existing work on relativistic first order phase transitions, which have implicitly assumed a distribution of bubbles statistically independent of position and time.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
