Monopole annihilation and causality

Journal Article · Mon Apr 15 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.31.1925· OSTI ID:5885968

Everett, A E; Vachaspati, T; Vilenkin, A

It is shown that, contrary to a recent claim, causality alone does not impose any interesting constraints on the rate of monopole annihilation. We study a two-dimensional analog of the models in which monopoles get connected by strings and use a Monte Carlo simulation of the phase transitions to determine the length distribution of strings. The result is that long strings are exponentially suppressed. We then argue that for any initial length distribution of strings in two or three dimensions, an exponential distribution is eventually established by intercommutings or by spontaneous breaking of strings.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155
• OSTI ID: 5885968
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 31:8; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645301* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries-- General-- (-1987)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANNIHILATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
CAUSALITY
COMPOSITE MODELS
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
EXTENDED PARTICLE MODEL
HIGGS MODEL
INTERACTIONS
LIFETIME
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MONOPOLES
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PARTICLE MODELS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
QUARK MODEL
STRING MODELS
SYMMETRY BREAKING