Out of equilibrium dynamics of quench-induced spontaneous symmetry breaking and topological defect formation

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Physical Review, D

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.55.925· OSTI ID:439126

Antunes, N D ^[1]; Bettencourt, L M ^[2]

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1. School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom)
2. The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom)

We study the full out-of-thermal-equilibrium dynamics of a relativistic classical scalar field through spontaneous symmetry breaking. In these circumstances we determine the evolution of the ensemble averages of the correlation length and topological defect densities. This clarifies many aspects of the nonperturbative dynamics of fields in symmetry-breaking phase transitions and allows us to comment on a quantitative basis on the canonical pictures for topological defect formation and evolution. We also compare these results to those obtained from the field evolution in the Hartree approximation or using the linearized theory. By doing so we conclude about the regimes of validity of these approximations. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• OSTI ID: 439126
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D, Journal Name: Physical Review, D Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 55; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
DEFECTS
DENSITY
DYNAMICS
HARTREE-FOCK METHOD
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SCALAR FIELDS
SYMMETRY BREAKING
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
TOPOLOGY