Asymmetric kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model

Producción CientíficaIn this paper the kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model in (1+1)-Minkowskian space-time is addressed. The potential term U(fi_1; fi_2) is given by a polynomial of fourth degree in the first field component and of sixth degree in the second one. The novel characteristic of this model is that the kink variety describes two different types of extended particles. These particles are characterized by its topological charge but also by a new feature determined by a discrete charge L = 0,1,-1. For this reason, the kink scattering involves a very rich variety of processes, which comprises kink annihilation, reflection, charge exchange, transmutation, etc. It has been found that not only the final velocity of the scattered kinks, but also the final nature of the emerging lumps after the collision are very sensitive on the initial velocities. Asymmetric scattering processes arise when Type I and Type II particles are obliged to collide. In this case, ten different final scenarios are possible. Symmetric scattering events are also discussed.In this paper the kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model in (1+1)-Minkowskian space-time is addressed. The potential term U(ϕ1, ϕ2) is given by a polynomial of fourth degree in the first field component and of sixth degree in the second one. The novel characteristic of this model is that the kink variety describes two different types of extended particles. These particles are characterized by its topological charge but also by a new feature determined by a discrete charge . For this reason, the kink scattering involves a very rich variety of processes, which comprises kink annihilation, reflection, charge exchange, transmutation, etc. It has been found that not only the final velocity of the scattered kinks, but also the final nature of the emerging lumps after the collision are very sensitive on the initial velocities. Asymmetric scattering processes arise when Type I and Type II particles are obliged to collide. In this case, ten different final scenarios are possible. Symmetric scattering events are also discussed.Ministerio de Economía, Ciencia y Competitividad (grant MTM2014-57129-C2-1-P)Junta de Castilla y Leon (grant VA057U16

Kink dynamics in the MSTB model

Producción CientíficaIn this paper kink scattering processes are investigated in the Montonen–Sarker–Trullinger–Bishop (MSTB) model. The MSTB model is in fact a one-parametric family of relativistic scalar field theories living in a one-time one-space Minkowski space-time which encompasses two coupled scalar fields. Among the static solutions of the model two kinds of topological kinks are distinguished in a precise range of the family parameter. In that regime there exists one unstable kink exhibiting only one non-null component of the scalar field. Another type of topological kink solutions, stable in this case, includes two different kinks for which the two components of the scalar field are non-null. Both one-component and two-component topological kinks are accompanied by their antikink partners. The decay of the unstable kink to one of the stable solutions plus radiation is numerically computed. The pair of stable two-component kinks living respectively on upper and lower semi-ellipses in the field space belongs to the same topological sector in the configuration space and provides an ideal playground to address several scattering events involving one kink and either its own antikink or the antikink of the other stable kink. By means of numerical analysis we shall find and describe interesting physical phenomena. Bion (kink–antikink oscillations) formation, kink reflection, kink–antikink annihilation, kink transmutation and resonances are examples of these types of events. The appearance of these phenomena emerging in the kink–antikink scattering depends critically on the initial collision velocity and the chosen value of the coupling constant parametrizing the family of MSTB models.MINDECO grant MTM2014-57129-C2-1-P and Junta de Castilla y León grants VA057U16 and BU229P18

Quantum-induced interactions in the moduli space of degenerate BPS domain walls

In this paper quantum effects are investigated in a very special two-scalar field model having a moduli space of BPS topological defects. In a $(1+1)$-dimensional space-time the defects are classically degenerate in mass kinks, but in $(3+1)$ dimensions the kinks become BPS domain walls, all of them sharing the same surface tension at the classical level. The heat kernel/zeta function regularization method will be used to control the divergences induced by the quantum kink and domain wall fluctuations. A generalization of the Gilkey-DeWitt-Avramidi heat kernel expansion will be developed in order to accommodate the infrared divergences due to zero modes in the spectra of the second-order kink and domain wall fluctuation operators, which are respectively $N\times N$ matrix ordinary or partial differential operators. Use of these tools in the spectral zeta function associated with the Hessian operators paves the way to obtain general formulas for the one-loop kink mass and domain wall tension shifts in any $(1+1)$- or $(3+1)$-dimensional $N$-component scalar field theory model. Application of these formulae to the BPS kinks or domain walls of the $N=2$ model mentioned above reveals the breaking of the classical mass or surface tension degeneracy at the quantum level. Because the main parameter distinguishing each member in the BPS kink or domain wall moduli space is essentially the distance between the centers of two basic kinks or walls, the breaking of the degeneracy amounts to the surge in quantum-induced forces between the two constituent topological defects. The differences in surface tension induced by one-loop fluctuations of BPS walls give rise mainly to attractive forces between the constituent walls except if the two basic walls are very far apart. Repulsive forces between two close walls only arise if the coupling is approaches the critical value from below.Comment: 34 pages, 7 figures, to appear in JHE

Higgs phase in a gauge U(1)\mathbf{U}(1) non-linear CP1\mathbf{CP}^1-model. Two species of BPS vortices and their zero modes

In this paper zero modes of fluctuation are dissected around the two species of BPS vortices existing in the critical Higgs phase, where the scalar and vector meson masses are equal, of a gauged $\mathbb{U}(1)$ nonlinear $\mathbb{CP}^1$-model. If $2\pi n$, $n\in \mathbb{Z}$, is the quantized magnetic flux of the two species of BPS vortex solutions, $2n$ linearly independent vortex zero modes for each species are found and described. The existence of two species of moduli spaces of dimension $2n$ of these stringy topological defects is thus locally shown.Comment: 17 pages, 28 figure

On a family of (1+1)-dimensional scalar field theory models: kinks, stability, one-loop mass shifts

In this paper we construct a one-parametric family of (1+1)-dimensional one-component scalar field theory models supporting kinks. Inspired by the sine-Gordon and $\phi^4$ models, we look at all possible extensions such that the kink second-order fluctuation operators are Schr\"odinger differential operators with P\"oschl-Teller potential wells. In this situation, the associated spectral problem is solvable and therefore we shall succeed in analyzing the kink stability completely and in computing the one-loop quantum correction to the kink mass exactly. When the parameter is a natural number, the family becomes the hierarchy for which the potential wells are reflectionless, the two first levels of the hierarchy being the sine-Gordon and $\phi^4$ models.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Annals of Physic

Reflection, transmutation, annihilation and resonance in two-component kink collisions

[EN] In this paper, the study of collisions between kinks arising in the family of MSTB models is addressed. Phenomena such as elastic kink reflection, mutual annihilation, kink-antikink transmutation and inelastic reflection are found and depend on the impact velocity

Non-topological kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model

In this paper the scattering between the non-topological kinks arising in a family of two-component scalar field theory models is analyzed. A winding charge is carried by these defects. As a consequence, two different classes of kink scattering processes emerge: (1) collisions between kinks that carry the same winding number and (2) scattering events between kinks with opposite winding number. The variety of scattering channels is very rich and it strongly depends on the collision velocity and the model parameter. For the first type of events, four distinct scattering channels are found: \textit{kink reflection} (kinks collide and bounce back), \textit{one-kink (partial) annihilation} (the two non-topological kinks collide causing the annihilation of one half of each kink and the subsequent recombination of the other two halves, giving rise to a new non-topological kink with the opposite winding charge), \textit{winding flip kink reflection} (kinks collide and emerge with the opposite winding charge) and \textit{total kink annihilation} (kinks collide and decay to the vacuum configuration). For the second type of events, the scattering channels comprise \textit{bion formation} (kink and antikink form a long-living bound state), \textit{kink-antikink passage} (kinks collide and pass each other) and \textit{kink-antikink annihilation} (kink and antikink collide and decay to the vacuum configuration).Comment: 22 pages, 17 figure

Kink dynamics in a system of two coupled scalar elds in two space-time dimensions

[EN] In this paper we examine the scattering processes among the members of a rich family of kinks which arise in a (1+1)-dimensional relativistic two scalar field theory. These kinks carry two different topological charges that determine the mutual interactions between the basic energy lumps (extended particles) described by these topological defects. Processes like topological charge exchange, kink–antikink bound state formation or kink repulsion emerge depending on the charges of the scattered particles. Two-bounce resonant windows have been found in the antikink–kink scattering processes, but not in the kink–antikink interactions

Kink dynamics in a system of two coupled scalar fields in two space–time dimensions

[EN] In this paper we examine the scattering processes among the members of a rich family of kinks which arise in a (1+1)-dimensional relativistic two scalar field theory. These kinks carry two different topological charges that determine the mutual interactions between the basic energy lumps (extended particles) described by these topological defects. Processes like topological charge exchange, kink–antikink bound state formation or kink repulsion emerge depending on the charges of the scattered particles. Two-bounce resonant windows have been found in the antikink–kink scattering processes, but not in the kink–antikink interactions

Two Species of Vortices in a massive Gauged Non-linear Sigma Model

Non-linear sigma models with scalar fields taking values on $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^n$ complex manifolds are addressed. In the simplest $n=1$ case, where the target manifold is the $\mathbb{S}^2$ sphere, we describe the scalar fields by means of stereographic maps. In this case when the $\mathbb{U}(1)$ symmetry is gauged and Maxwell and mass terms are allowed, the model accommodates stable self-dual vortices of two kinds with different energies per unit length and where the Higgs field winds at the cores around the two opposite poles of the sphere. Allowing for dielectric functions in the magnetic field, similar and richer self-dual vortices of different species in the south and north charts can be found by slightly modifying the potential. Two different situations are envisaged: either the vacuum orbit lies on a parallel in the sphere, or one pole and the same parallel form the vacuum orbit. Besides the self-dual vortices of two species, there exist BPS domain walls in the second case. Replacing the Maxwell contribution of the gauge field to the action by the second Chern-Simons secondary class, only possible in $(2+1)$-dimensional Minkowski space-time, new BPS topological defects of two species appear. Namely, both BPS vortices and domain ribbons in the south and the north charts exist because the vacuum orbit consits of the two poles and one parallel. Formulation of the gauged $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^2$ model in a Reference chart shows a self-dual structure such that BPS semi-local vortices exist. The transition functions to the second or third charts break the $\mathbb{U}(1)\times\mathbb{S}\mathbb{U}(2)$ semi-local symmetry, but there is still room for standard self-dual vortices of the second species. The same structures encompassing $N$ complex scalar fields are easily generalized to gauged $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^N$ models.Comment: 39 pages, 23 figures (extended version), to be published in JHE