Abstract
After a quantum phase transition, the quantum vacuum can break up to form classical topological defects. We examine this process for scalar field models with Z2 symmetry for different quench rates for the phase transition. We find that the number density of kinks at late times universally scales as Cm1/2t-1/2, where m is a mass scale in the model and C≈0.22; it does not depend on the quench timescale in contrast to the Kibble-Zurek scaling for thermal phase transitions. A subleading correction ?t-3/2 to the kink density depends on the details of the phase transition.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | 056021 |
Journal | Physical Review D |
Volume | 102 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2020 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)