Symmetry breaking around cosmic strings
Abstract
The vacuum stability of quantized interacting scalar field theory around a cosmic string is considered. The nontrivial topology allows for both twisted and untwisted field configurations. For a massless theory with a quartic self-interaction, although quantum corrections to the classical theory lead to an effective mass-squared which may be negative, the state phi = 0 is shown to remain stable. The double well potential is also examined. It is shown that if the string is enclosed in a cylindrical shell there is a critical radius below which phi = 0 is stable. Beyond this critical radius the boundary conditions preclude the usual constant field solutions. In this case, approximate solutions are found when the radius is close to the critical value.
- Publication:
-
Classical and Quantum Gravity
- Pub Date:
- October 1989
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0264-9381/6/10/005
- Bibcode:
- 1989CQGra...6.1343R
- Keywords:
-
- Broken Symmetry;
- Field Theory (Physics);
- String Theory;
- Perturbation Theory;
- Scalars;
- Topology;
- Vacuum;
- Astrophysics