53 research outputs found
How does the geodesic rule really work for global symmetry breaking first order phase transitions?
The chain of events usually understood to lead to the formation of
topological defects during phase transitions is known as the Kibble mechanism.
A central component of the mechanism is the so-called ``geodesic rule''.
Although in the Abelian Higgs model the validity of the geodesic rule has been
questioned recently, it is known to be valid on energetic grounds for a global
U(1) symmetry breaking transition. However, even for these globally symmetric
models no dynamical analisys of the rule has been carried to this date, and
some points as to how events proceed still remain obscure. This paper tries to
clarify the dynamics of the geodesic rule in the context of a global U(1)
model. With an appropriate ansatz for the field modulus we find a family of
analytical expressions, phase walls, that accounts for both geodesic and
nongeodesic configurations. We then show how the latter ones are unstable and
decay into the former by nucleating pairs of defects. Finnally, we try to give
a physical perspective of how the geodesic rule might really work in these
transitions.Comment: 10 pages, 9 multiple figre
Self-gravitating domain walls and the thin-wall limit
We analyse the distributional thin wall limit of self gravitating scalar
field configurations representing thick domain wall geometries. We show that
thick wall solutions can be generated by appropiate scaling of the thin wall
ones, and obtain an exact solution for a domain wall that interpolates between
AdS_4 asymptotic vacua and has a well-defined thin wall limit.Solutions
representing scalar field configurations obtained via the same scaling but that
do not have a thin wall limit are also presented.Comment: 10 pages, revte
Cosmological Consequences of Slow-Moving Bubbles in First-Order Phase Transitions
In cosmological first-order phase transitions, the progress of true-vacuum
bubbles is expected to be significantly retarded by the interaction between the
bubble wall and the hot plasma. We examine the evolution and collision of
slow-moving true-vacuum bubbles. Our lattice simulations indicate that phase
oscillations, predicted and observed in systems with a local symmetry and with
a global symmetry where the bubbles move at speeds less than the speed of
light, do not occur inside collisions of slow-moving local-symmetry bubbles. We
observe almost instantaneous phase equilibration which would lead to a decrease
in the expected initial defect density, or possibly prevent defects from
forming at all. We illustrate our findings with an example of defect formation
suppressed in slow-moving bubbles. Slow-moving bubble walls also prevent the
formation of `extra defects', and in the presence of plasma conductivity may
lead to an increase in the magnitude of any primordial magnetic field formed.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, replaced with typos corrected and reference
added. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Matter collineations of Spacetime Homogeneous G\"odel-type Metrics
The spacetime homogeneous G\"odel-type spacetimes which have four classes of
metrics are studied according to their matter collineations. The obtained
results are compared with Killing vectors and Ricci collineations. It is found
that these spacetimes have infinite number of matter collineations in
degenerate case, i.e. det, and do not admit proper matter
collineations in non-degenerate case, i.e. det. The degenerate
case has the new constraints on the parameters and which characterize
the causality features of the G\"odel-type spacetimes.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex, no figures, Class. Quantum.Grav.20 (2003) 216
Formation of topological defects in gauge field theories
When a symmetry gets spontaneously broken in a phase transition, topological
defects are typically formed. The theoretical picture of how this happens in a
breakdown of a global symmetry, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, is well established
and has been tested in various condensed matter experiments. However, from the
viewpoint of particle physics and cosmology, gauge field theories are more
relevant than global theories. In recent years, there have been significant
advances in the theory of defect formation in gauge field theories, which make
precise predictions possible, and in experimental techniques that can be used
to test these predictions in superconductor experiments. This opens up the
possibility of carrying out relatively simple and controlled experiments, in
which the non-equilibrium phase transition dynamics of gauge field theories can
be studied. This will have a significant impact on our understanding of phase
transitions in the early universe and in heavy ion collider experiments. In
this paper, I review the current status of the theory and the experiments in
which it can be tested.Comment: Review article, 43 pages, 7 figures. Minor changes, some references
added. Final version to appear in IJMP
Linear Collider Test of a Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Mechanism in left-right Symmetric Theories
There are various diagrams leading to neutrinoless double beta decay in
left-right symmetric theories based on the gauge group SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R. All
can in principle be tested at a linear collider running in electron-electron
mode. We argue that the so-called lambda-diagram is the most promising one.
Taking the current limit on this diagram from double beta decay experiments, we
evaluate the relevant cross section e e to W_L W_R, where W_L is the Standard
Model W-boson and W_R the one from SU(2)_R. It is observable if the life-time
of double beta decay and the mass of the W_R are close to current limits. Beam
polarization effects and the high-energy behaviour of the cross section are
also analyzed.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. v2: minor changes, references added, to be
published in EPJ
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the
high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single
particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high
mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela,
4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer
a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range.
The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be
presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200
Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory
In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD)
under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray
Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the
WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of
WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The
LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma
initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to
secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200
- …