arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Chul H. Lee.
We investigate and classify the possible types of false vacuum bubbles in Einstein gravity. The false vacuum bubbles can occur only if gravity is taken into account. We show that there exist solutions only with compact geometries. The analytic computations for the radius and nucleation rate of a vacuum bubble are evaluated using the thin-wall approximation. We discuss possible cosmological implications of our new solutions.
We investigate oscillating instanton solutions of a self-gravitating scalar field between degenerate vacua. We show that there exist O(4)-symmetric oscillating solutions in a de Sitter background. The geometry of this solution is finite and preserves the $Z_{2}$ symmetry. The nontrivial solution corresponding to tunneling is possible only if the effect of gravity is taken into account. We present numerical solutions of this instanton, including the phase diagram of solutions in terms of the parameters of the present work and the variation of energy densities. Our solutions can be interpreted as solutions describing an instanton-induced domain wall or braneworld-like object rather than a kink-induced domain wall or braneworld. The oscillating instanton solutions have a thick wall and the solutions can be interpreted as a mechanism providing nucleation of the thick wall for topological inflation. We remark that $Z_{2}$ invariant solutions also exist in a flat and anti-de Sitter background, though the physical significance is not clear.
We investigate the instanton solution between the degenerate vacua in curved space. We show that there exist $O(4)$-symmetric solutions not only in de Sitter but also in both flat and anti-de Sitter space. The geometry of the new type of solutions is finite and preserves the $Z_2$ symmetry. The nontrivial solution corresponding to the tunneling is possible only if gravity is taken into account. The numerical solutions as well as the analytic computations using the thin-wall approximation are presented. We expect that these solutions do not have any negative mode as in the instanton solution.
We investigate geometrical properties of 5D cylindrical vacuum solutions with a transverse spherical symmetry. The metric is uniform along the fifth direction and characterized by tension and mass densities. The solutions are classified by the tension-to-mass ratio. One particular example is the well-known Schwarzschild black string which has a curvature singularity enclosed by a horizon. We focus mainly on geometry of other solutions which possess a naked singularity. The light signal emitted by an object approaching the singularity reaches a distant observer with finite time, but is infinitely red-shifted.
We study the dynamics of false vacuum bubbles. A nonminimally coupled scalar field gives rise to the effect of negative tension. The mass of a false vacuum bubble from outside observer's point of view can be positive, zero, or negative. The interior false vacuum has de Sitter geometry, while the exterior true vacuum background can have geometry depending on the vacuum energy. We show that there exist expanding false vacuum bubbles without the initial singularity in the past.
When charged particles collide with a vacuum bubble, they can radiate strong electromagnetic waves due to rapid deceleration. Owing to the energy loss of the particles by this bremsstrahlung radiation, there is a non-negligible damping pressure acting on the bubble wall even when thermal equilibrium is maintained. In the non-relativistic region, this pressure is proportional to the velocity of the wall and could have influenced the bubble dynamics in the early universe.
We consider 1+4 dimensional black string solutions which are invariant under translation along the fifth direction. The solutions are characterized by the two parameters, mass and tension, of the source. The Gregory-Laflamme solution is shown to be characterized by the tension whose magnitude is one half of the mass per unit length of the source. The general black string solution with arbitrary tension is presented and its properties are discussed.
We study the possibility of forming the false vacuum bubble nucleated within the true vacuum background via the true-to-false vacuum phase transition in curved spacetime. We consider a semiclassical Euclidean bubble in the Einstein theory of gravity with a nonminimally coupled scalar field. In this paper we present the numerical computations as well as the approximate analytical computations. We mention the evolution of the false vacuum bubble after nucleation.
A theoretical study of some electrodynamic features of a region close to a {\it slowly-rotating} magnetized relativistic star is performed. To be a little more specific, based on the solution-generating method given by Wald, the magnetic fields around both uncharged and (slightly) charged relativistic stars have been obtained. Particularly for a charged relativistic star, again following the argument by Wald, the star was shown to gradually accrete charge until it reached an equilibrium value $\tilde{Q}=2B_{0}J$. This value of the equilibrium charge seems to be generic as a rotating black hole is known to accrete exactly the same amount. Although these results are equally relevant to all species of slowly-rotating relativistic stars, we particularly have the rotating neutron star in mind. As such, it would be of some interest to attempt to make contact with a real pulsar case. Thus, we discuss how many of the theoretical results obtained in the present work can be carried over to a realistic, general relativistic description of a pulsar's magnetosphere.
This paper has been withdrawn by the author due to a crucial error in several equations.
A fully general relativistic description of the pulsar magnetosphere is provided. To be more concrete, a study of the pulsar magnetosphere is performed in the context of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) employing the so-called Grad-Shafranov approach. Not surprisingly, the resulting Grad-Shafranov equations and all the other related general relativistic MHD equations turn out to take essentially the same structures as those for the (rotating) black hole magnetosphere. Other different natures between the two cases including the structure of singular surfaces of MHD flows in each magnetosphere are essentially encoded in the different spacetime (metric) contents. In this way, the pulsar and the black hole magnetospheres can be described in an unified fashion. Particularly, the direction of poloidal currents circulating in the neutron star magnetosphere turns out to be the same as that of currents circulating in the black hole magnetosphere which, in turn, leads to the pulsar and the black hole spin-downs via the ``magnetic braking''.
Core-collapse in massive stars is believed to produce a rapidly spinning black hole surrounded by a compact disk or torus. This forms an energetic MeV-nucleus inside a remnant He-core, powered by black hole-spin energy. The output produces a GRB-supernova, while most of the energy released is in gravitational radiation. The intrinsic gravitational-wave spectrum is determined by multipole mass-moments in the torus. Quadrupole gravitational radiation is radiated at about twice the Keplerian frequency of the torus, which is non-axisymmetric when sufficiently slender, representing a ``{\em black hole-blob}" binary system or a "{\em blob-blob}" binary bound to the central black hole. We here discuss line-broadening in the observed spectrum due to Lense-Thirring precession, which modulates the orientation of the torus to the line-of-sight. This spectral feature is long-lived, due to weak damping of precessional motion. These events are believed to occur perhaps once per year within a distance of 100Mpc, which provides a candidate source for Advanced LIGO.
In association with the Goldreich-Julian's magnetic braking mechanism to explain the luminosity of radio pulsars as a result of their spin-down, it is of some interest to explore how much of magnetic flux can actually penetrate the surface of the rotating neutron stars at least in idealized situations. In order to address this issue, one needs to figure out the amount of charge on and the structure of magnetic field around a rotating neutron star. In the present work, based on the solution-generating method given by Wald, the magnetic fields around both the uncharged and (slightly) charged neutron star have been obtained. Particularly for the charged neutron star, it has been demonstrated following again the argument by Wald that the neutron star will gradually accrete the charge until it reaches the equilibrium value $\tilde{Q}=2B_{0}J$. Then next, the magnetic flux through one half of the surface of the rotating neutron star has been computed as well. With the nonvanishing accretion charge having value in the range $0 < \tilde{Q} \leq 2B_{0}J$, the total magnetic flux through the neutron star has been shown to be greater than that without the accretion charge.
As a complementary or companion process to the Blandford-Znajek mechanism for the rotational energy extraction from a Kerr black hole to serve as a viable model for the central engine of quasar, AGN and even GRB, the magnetic alignment process is proposed. In contrast to the environment assumed in the Blandford-Znajek mechanism in which the rotating hole's spin axis and the asymptotic direction of the magnetic field are aligned, this new process operates when they are generally misaligned which obviously is the more natural situation likely to happen. The time scales over which these two processes take place and the total radiated powers released at the horizon by them have been estimated and found to be nearly comparable. This may imply that in a random, non-axisymmetric configuration, the magnetic alignment process would operate first during which some of the hole's rotational energy is released and upon completion of the alignment, the Blandford-Znajek mechanism may follow and the rest of the hole's rotational energy, if any left, would be further released.
The Klein-Gordon-Einstein equations of classical real scalar fields have time-dependent solutions (periodic in time). We show that quantum real scalar fields can form non-oscillating (static) solitonic objects, which are quite similar to the solutions describing boson stars formed with classical and quantum complex scalar fields (the latter will be studied in this paper). We numerically analyze the difference between them concerning the mass of boson stars. On the other hand, we suggest an interesting test (a viable process that the boson star may undergo in the early universe) for the formation of boson stars. That is, it is questioned that after a second-order phase transition (a simple toy model will be considered here), what is the fate of the boson star composed of quantum real scalar field.
We show that classicality emerges during quantum phase transitions due to parametric interactions without coupling to environments. The Wigner functions are explicitly calculated for the Gaussian vacuum, number, and thermal states of a free scalar field that describes the spinodal instability regime. The Wigner functions are sharply peaked around their classical trajectories during the phase transition and exhibit classical correlation only for unstable long wavelength modes but retain quantum coherence for short wavelength modes. Thus classicality emerges from the quantum evolution of phase transitions without a classical order parameter. We define a quantal ordering parameter that is linear in the field variable and satisfies the classical field equation.
In this work, the interaction of electromagnetic fields with a rotating (Kerr) black hole is explored in the context of Born-Infeld (BI) theory of electromagnetism instead of standard Maxwell theory and particularly BI theory versions of the four horizon boundary conditions of Znajek and Damour are derived. Naturally, an issue to be addressed is then whether they would change from the ones given in Maxwell theory context and if they would, how. Interestingly enough, as long as one employs the same local null tetrad frame as the one adopted in the works by Damour and by Znajek to read out physical values of electromagnetic fields and fictitious surface charge and currents on the horizon, it turns out that one ends up with exactly the same four horizon boundary conditions despite the shift of the electrodynamics theory from a linear Maxwell one to a highly non-linear BI one. Close inspection reveals that this curious and unexpected result can be attributed to the fact that the concrete structure of BI equations happens to be such that it is indistinguishable at the horizon to a local observer, say, in Damour's local tetrad frame from that of standard Maxwell theory.
The electric charge on rotating black holes is calculated to be ~ BJ in the force-free configuration of Ghosh (2000), with a horizon flux of ~ BM^2. This charge is gravitationally weak for B ~ 10^{15} G, so that the Kerr metric applies. Being similar to the electric charge of a magnetar, both electric charge and magnetic flux should be, in sign and order of magnitude, continuous during stellar collapse into a black hole. Extraction of the rotational energy from newly formed black holes may proceed by interaction with the magnetic field. Keywords:black hole physics --magnetic fields