Quantum nucleation of false-vacuum bubbles

Journal Article · Sun Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.41.2638· OSTI ID:7040683

Fischler, W; Morgan, D; Polchinski, J ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Theory Group, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 (USA)

We show that a small bubble of false vacuum can tunnel to the critical size for inflation, and calculate the amplitude in leading WKB approximation. An initially nonsingular space becomes an exterior space plus a baby universe (which contains the bubble), joined by a black-hole singularity. We work in a Hamiltonian formalism; the corresponding Euclidean bounce is shown to have a degenerate vierbein.

• OSTI ID: 7040683
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA) Vol. 41:8; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BLACK HOLES
BUBBLE GROWTH
COSMOLOGY
EUCLIDEAN SPACE
FIELD THEORIES
HAMILTONIANS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MECHANICS
NUCLEATION
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM GRAVITY
QUANTUM MECHANICS
QUANTUM OPERATORS
RIEMANN SPACE
SPACE
UNIVERSE
VACUUM STATES
WKB APPROXIMATION