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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11081 |
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| _version_ | 1866911672202952704 |
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| author | Hassan, Saquib March-Russell, John |
| author_facet | Hassan, Saquib March-Russell, John |
| contents | We study zero-temperature false vacuum decay in $D$ compact spatial dimensions and show that for volumes below a critical value a new bounce solution, different from Coleman's celebrated $O(D)$ bubble, mediates the decay process, and typically leads to an exponentially enhanced decay rate. The bounce, when analytically continued to Lorentzian signature, nucleates a homogeneous field configuration for spatial volumes below a critical value, and quasi-homogeneous configurations for slightly larger volumes, and is not of the form of a thin or thick-walled bubble embedded in a false vacuum background. We explicitly show that the new bounce has the necessary features associated with false vacuum decay, following from its eigenvalue spectrum of fluctuations. The cross-over from homogeneous to quasi-homogeneous solutions as the spatial volume is increased is discussed, as is a real-time interpretation of the bounce. We apply this bounce to the study of a scalar field model, as well as a close cousin of the Schwinger effect that applies to $(1+1)d$ axion electrodynamics in compact space. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_11081 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Compact space catalysis of false vacuum decay and Schwinger effect Hassan, Saquib March-Russell, John High Energy Physics - Theory High Energy Physics - Phenomenology We study zero-temperature false vacuum decay in $D$ compact spatial dimensions and show that for volumes below a critical value a new bounce solution, different from Coleman's celebrated $O(D)$ bubble, mediates the decay process, and typically leads to an exponentially enhanced decay rate. The bounce, when analytically continued to Lorentzian signature, nucleates a homogeneous field configuration for spatial volumes below a critical value, and quasi-homogeneous configurations for slightly larger volumes, and is not of the form of a thin or thick-walled bubble embedded in a false vacuum background. We explicitly show that the new bounce has the necessary features associated with false vacuum decay, following from its eigenvalue spectrum of fluctuations. The cross-over from homogeneous to quasi-homogeneous solutions as the spatial volume is increased is discussed, as is a real-time interpretation of the bounce. We apply this bounce to the study of a scalar field model, as well as a close cousin of the Schwinger effect that applies to $(1+1)d$ axion electrodynamics in compact space. |
| title | Compact space catalysis of false vacuum decay and Schwinger effect |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Theory High Energy Physics - Phenomenology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11081 |