Critical dynamics of symmetry breaking: Quenches, dissipation, and cosmology
- Theoretical Astrophysics, MS-B288, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
Symmetry-breaking phase transitions may leave behind topological defects with a density dependence on the quench rate. We investigate the dynamics of such quenches for the one-dimensional, Landau-Ginzburg case and show that the density of kinks, n, scales differently with the quench time scale, {tau}{sub Q}, depending on whether the dynamics in the vicinity of the critical point is overdamped (n{proportional_to}{tau}{sub Q}{sup {minus}1/4}) or underdamped (n{proportional_to}{tau}{sub Q}{sup {minus}1/3}). Either of these cases may be relevant to the early Universe, and we derive bounds on the initial density of topological defects in cosmological phase transitions. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 662311
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, D, Vol. 58, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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