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arXiv · hep-th/9902127

Relation between Tunneling and Particle Production in Vacuum Decay

Laura Mersini
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Abstract

The field-theoretical description of quantum fluctuations on the background of a tunneling field $σ$ is revisited in the case of a functional Schrodinger approach. We apply this method in the case when quantum fluctuations are coupled to the $σ$ field through a mass-squared term, which is 'time-dependent' since we include the dynamics of $σ$ . The resulting mode functions of the fluctuation field, which determine the quantum state after tunneling, display a previously unseen resonance effect when their mode number is comparable to the curvature scale of the bubble. A detailed analysis of the relation between the excitations of the field about the true vacuum (interpreted as particle creation) and the phase shift coming from tunneling is presented.

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Laura Mersini. 1999-02-17. Relation between Tunneling and Particle Production in Vacuum Decay. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.59.123521

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