The radiation loss of small-amplitude radially symmetric oscillons (long-living, spatially localized, time-dependent solutions) in two- and three-dimensional scalar field theories is computed analytically in the small-amplitude expansion. The amplitude of the radiation is beyond all orders in perturbation theory and it is determined using matched asymptotic series expansions and Borel summation. The general results are illustrated on the case of the two- and three-dimensional sine-Gordon theory and a two-dimensional $ϕ^6$ model. The analytic predictions are found to be in good agreement with the results of numerical simulations of oscillons.
The radiation loss of small amplitude oscillons (very long-living, spatially localized, time dependent solutions) in one dimensional scalar field theories is computed in the small-amplitude expansion analytically using matched asymptotic series expansions and Borel summation. The amplitude of the radiation is beyond all orders in perturbation theory and the method used has been developed by Segur and Kruskal in Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 747 (1987). Our results are in good agreement with those of long time numerical simulations of oscillons.
It is shown by both analytical methods and numerical simulations that extremely long living spherically symmetric oscillons appear in virtually any real scalar field theory coupled to a massless dilaton (DS theories). In fact such "dilatonic" oscillons are already present in the simplest non-trivial DS theory -- a free massive scalar field coupled to the dilaton. It is shown that in analogy to the previously considered cases with a single nonlinear scalar field, in DS theories there are also time periodic quasibreathers (QB) associated to small amplitude oscillons. Exploiting the QB picture th…
Oscillons are time-dependent, localized in space, extremely long-lived states in nonlinear scalar-field models, while kinks are topological solitons in one spatial dimension. In the present work, we show new classes of oscillons and oscillating kinks in a system of two nonlinearly coupled scalar fields in $1 + 1$ spatiotemporal dimensions. The solutions contain a control parameter, the variation of which produces oscillons and kinks with a flat-top shape. The model finds applications to condensed matter, cosmology, and high-energy physics.
In this work we study configurations in one-dimensional scalar field theory, which are time-dependent, localized in space and extremely long-lived called oscillons. It is investigated how the action of changing the minimum value of the field configuration representing the oscillon affects its behavior. We find that one of the consequences of this procedure, is the appearance of a pair of oscillon-like structures presenting different amplitudes and frequencies of oscillation. We also compare our analytical results to numerical ones, showing excellent agreement.
In this work, we report on the possibility of occurrence of oscillon configurations in the fourth state of matter. Oscillons are extremely long-lived, time-periodic, spatially-localised scalar field structures. Starting from a scalar field theory in 1+1 space-time dimensions, we find out that small-amplitude oscillons can be obtained in the framework of a $ϕ^6$ self-interacting potential. A connection between our results and ideal MHD theory is established. Perspectives for a development of the present work are pointed out.
Oscillons are long-lived, spherically-symmetric, attractor scalar field configurations that emerge as certain field configurations evolve in time. It has been known for many years that there is a direct correlation between the initial configuration's shape and the resulting oscillon lifetime: a shape memory. In this paper we use an information entropic measure known as differential configurational entropy (DCE) to obtain estimates of oscillon lifetimes in scalar field theories with symmetric and asymmetric double-well potentials. The time-dependent DCE is built form the Fourier-transform of th…
We study oscillons, extremely long-lived localized oscillations of a scalar field, with three different potentials: quartic, sine-Gordon model and in a new class of convex potentials. We use an absorbing boundary at the end of the lattice to remove emitted radiation. The energy and the frequency of an oscillon evolve in time and are well fitted by a constant component and a decaying, radiative part obeying a power law as a function time. The power spectra of the emitted radiation show several distinct frequency peaks where oscillons release energy. In two dimensions, and with suitable initial …
We investigate the longevity of oscillons numerically, paying particular attention to radially-symmetric oscillons that have been conjectured to have an infinitely-long lifetime. In two spatial dimensions, oscillons have not been seen to decay. In three spatial dimensions, specific initial Gaussian configurations seem to lead to oscillons with spikes in lifetime that have been conjectured to be infinite. We study such ``resonant'' oscillons in two and three spatial dimensions, applying two tests to study their longevity: parametric resonance and virialization. Without offering a formal proof, …
The basic properties of oscillons -- localized, long-lived, time-dependent scalar field configurations -- are briefly reviewed, including recent results demonstrating how their existence depends on the dimensionality of spacetime. Their role on the dynamics of phase transitions is discussed, and it is shown that oscillons may greatly accelerate the decay of metastable vacuum states. This mechanism for vacuum decay -- resonant nucleation -- is then applied to cosmological inflation. A new inflationary model is proposed which terminates with fast bubble nucleation.
Many classical scalar field theories possess remarkable solutions: coherently oscillating, localized clumps, known as oscillons. In many cases, the decay rate of classical small amplitude oscillons is known to be exponentially suppressed and so they are extremely long lived. In this work we compute the decay rate of quantized oscillons. We find it to be a power law in the amplitude and couplings of the theory. Therefore, the quantum decay rate is very different to the classical decay rate and is often dominant. We show that essentially all oscillons eventually decay by producing outgoing radia…
Numerical simulations show that a massive real scalar field in a nonlinear theory can form long-lived oscillating localized states. For a self-interacting scalar on a fixed background these objects are named oscillons, while for the self-gravitating case they are called oscillatons. This extensive review is about the history and various general properties of these solutions, though mainly focusing on the small but nonzero classical scalar field radiation emitted by them. The radiation for higher amplitude states can be calculated by a spectral numerical method. For small and moderately large a…
Oscillons are spatially localized and relatively stable field fluctuations which can form after inflation under suitable conditions. In order to reheat the universe, the fields which dominate the energy density after inflation have to couple to other degrees of freedom and finally produce the matter particles present in the universe today. In this study, we use lattice simulations in 2+1 dimensions to investigate how such couplings can affect the formation and stability of oscillons. We focus on models of hilltop inflation, where we have recently shown that hill crossing oscillons generically …
We present a comprehensive, nonperturbative analytical method to investigate the dynamics of time-dependent oscillating scalar field configurations. The method is applied to oscillons in a double well Klein-Gordon model in two and three spatial dimensions, yielding high accuracy results in the characterization of all aspects of the complex oscillon dynamics. In particular, we show how oscillons can be interpreted as long-lived perturbations about an attractor in field configuration space. By investigating their radiation rate as they approach the attractor, we obtain an accurate estimate of th…
We study oscillons in D+1 space-time dimensions using a spherically symmetric ansatz. From Gaussian initial conditions, these evolve by emitting radiation, approaching ``quasi-breathers'', near-periodic solutions to the equations of motion. Using a truncated mode expansion, we numerically determine these quasi-breather solutions in 2<D<6 and the energy dependence on the oscillation frequency. In particular, this energy has a minimum, which in turn depends on the number of spatial dimensions. We study the time evolution and lifetimes of the resulting quasi-breathers, and show how generic oscill…
In this work we discuss the impact of the breaking of the Lorentz symmetry on the usual oscillons, the so-called flat-top oscillons, and the breathers. Our analysis is performed by using a Lorentz violation scenario rigorously derived in the literature. We show that the Lorentz violation is responsible for the origin of a kind of deformation of the configuration, where the field configuration becomes oscillatory in a localized region near its maximum value. Furthermore, we show that the Lorentz breaking symmetry produces a displacement of the oscillon along the spatial direction, the same feat…
We consider a (1+1) dimensional scalar field theory that supports oscillons, which are localized, oscillatory, stable solutions to nonlinear equations of motion. We study this theory in an expanding background and show that oscillons now lose energy, but at a rate that is exponentially small when the expansion rate is slow. We also show numerically that a universe that starts with (almost) thermal initial conditions will cool to a final state where a significant fraction of the energy of the universe -- on the order of 50% -- is stored in oscillons. If this phenomenon persists in realistic mod…
Oscillons are long-lived, localized, oscillatory scalar field configurations. In this work we derive a condition for the existence of small-amplitude oscillons (and provide solutions) in scalar field theories with non-canonical kinetic terms. While oscillons have been studied extensively in the canonical case, this is the first example of oscillons in scalar field theories with non-canonical kinetic terms. In particular, we demonstrate the existence of oscillons supported solely by the non-canonical kinetic terms, without any need for nonlinear terms in the potential. In the small-amplitude li…
Oscillons are bound states sustained by self-interactions that appear in rather generic scalar models. They can be extremely long-lived and in the context of cosmology they have a built-in formation mechanism - parametric resonance instability. These features suggest that oscillons can affect the standard picture of scalar ultra-light dark matter (ULDM) models. We explore this idea along two directions. First, we investigate numerically oscillon lifetimes and their dependence on the shape of the potential. We find that scalar potentials that occur in well motivated axion-like models can lead t…
Decay and lifetime of oscillons coupled to an external scalar field: Insights from instability band analysis
Institute of Science Tokyo(东京科学大学);Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, Institute for Basic Science(基础科学研究院宇宙理论物理中心);Yonsei University(延世大学);Tongji University(同济大学);Institute for Advanced Study of Tongji University(同济大学高等研究院);Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo(东京大学前沿研究机构理化学宇宙物质研究所(WPI));Yangzhou University(扬州大学)
We present four results for oscillons in classical phi^4 theory in D+1 space-time dimensions, based on numerical simulations. These include the oscillon lifetime and the dependence on D; evidence for the uniqueness of the oscillon; evidence for the existence of oscillons beyond D=7; and a brief study of the spectrum of the radiation emitted from the oscillons before, during and after its ultimate demise.
We study the decay of large amplitude, almost periodic breather-like states in a deformed sine-Gordon model in one spatial dimension. We discover that these objects decay in a staggered fashion via a series of transitions, during which higher harmonics are released as short, staccato bursts of radiation. Further, we argue that this phenomenon is not restricted to one particular model, and that similar mechanisms of radiative decay of long-lived oscillating states can be observed for a wide class of physical systems, including the $ϕ^6$ model.
We present explicit solutions of the signum-Gordon scalar field equation which have finite energy and are periodic in time. Such oscillons have a strictly finite size. They do not emit radiation.
Oscillons are spatially localised strong fluctuations of a scalar field. They can e.g. form after inflation when the scalar field potential is shallower than quadratic away from the minimum. Although oscillons are not protected by topology, they can be remarkably stable and have a significant impact on the (p)reheating phase. In this work we investigate the properties of oscillons in hilltop-shaped potentials, in particular the typical energies, shapes and lifetimes. In the first part of the paper, we simulate oscillon creation and stabilization with (3+1)-dimensional classical lattice simulat…
Oscillons are localized states of scalar fields sustained by self interactions. They decay by emitting classical radiation, but their lifetimes are surprisingly large. We revisit the reasons behind their longevity, aiming at how the shape of the scalar potential $V(ϕ)$ determines the lifetime. The corpuscular picture, where the oscillon is identified with a bound state of a large number of field quanta, allows to understand lifetimes of order of $10^3$ cycles in generic potentials. At the non-perturbative level, two properties of the scalar potential can substantially boost the lifetime: the f…
In this work we investigate the consequences of the Lorentz symmetry violation on extremely long-living, time-dependent, and spatially localized field configurations, named oscillons. This is accomplished in ($D+1$) dimensions for two interacting scalar field theories in the so-called Standard Model-Extension context. We show that $D$-dimensional scalar field lumps can present a typical size $R_{\min }\ll R_{KK}$, where $R_{KK}$ is the associated length scale of extra dimensions in Kaluza-Klein theories. Here, the size $R_{\min }$ is shown to strongly depend on the terms that control the Loren…
We use an information-theoretic measure of shape complexity known as configurational entropy (CE) to investigate numerically the remarkably long lifetimes of spherically-symmetric ``resonant oscillons'' in three-dimensional and of azimuthally-symmetric oscillons in two-dimensional relativistic scalar field theories, which have been conjectured to be infinite. In 3d, we obtain a power law relating a stability measure derived from CE to the oscillons' lifetimes that, upon extrapolation to large times, offers support to this conjecture. In 2d, we obtain a three-way relation between the oscillons'…
We consider a classical toy model of a massive scalar field in 1+1 dimensions with a constant exponential expansion rate of space. The nonlinear theory under consideration supports approximate oscillon solutions, but they eventually decay due to their coupling to the expanding background. Although all the parameters of the theory and the oscillon energies are of order one in units of the scalar field mass $m$, the oscillon lifetime is exponentially large in these natural units. For typical values of the parameters, we see oscillon lifetimes scaling approximately as $τ\propto \exp(k E/m)/m$ whe…
Quasi-breathers (QB) are time-periodic solutions with weak spatial localization introduced in G. Fodor et al. in Phys. Rev. D. 74, 124003 (2006). QB's provide a simple description of oscillons (very long-living spatially localized time dependent solutions). The small amplitude limit of QB's is worked out in a large class of scalar theories with a general self-interaction potential, in $D$ spatial dimensions. It is shown that the problem of small amplitude QB's is reduced to a universal elliptic partial differential equation. It is also found that there is the critical dimension, $D_{crit}=4$, …
Multi-field oscillons/I-balls in the Friedberg-Lee-Sirlin model
RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS), RIKEN(RIKEN 跨学科理论与数学科学中心(iTHEMS));Department of Physics, Tohoku University(东北大学物理系);Tokyo Denki University(东京电机大学);Osaka Central Advanced Mathematical Institute, Osaka Metropolitan University(大阪公立大学大阪中央高等数学研究所);Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, University of Tokyo(东京大学 Kavli 宇宙物质与宇宙起源国际合作实验室(WPI)、UTIAS)
Real scalar fields are known to fragment into spatially localized and long-lived solitons called oscillons or $I$-balls. We prove the adiabatic invariance of the oscillons/$I$-balls for a potential that allows periodic motion even in the presence of non-negligible spatial gradient energy. We show that such potential is uniquely determined to be the quadratic one with a logarithmic correction, for which the oscillons/$I$-balls are absolutely stable. For slightly different forms of the scalar potential dominated by the quadratic one, the oscillons/$I$-balls are only quasi-stable, because the adi…
Analytical arguments suggest that a large class of scalar field potentials permit the existence of oscillons -- pseudo-stable, non-topological solitons -- in three spatial dimensions. In this paper we numerically explore oscillon solutions in three dimensions. We confirm the existence of these field configurations as solutions to the Klein-Gorden equation in an expanding background, and verify the predictions of Amin and Shirokoff for the characteristics of individual oscillons for their model. Further, we demonstrate that significant numbers of oscillons can be generated via fragmentation of …
We present a new class of oscillons in the (1+1)-dimensional signum-Gordon model. The oscillons periodically move to and fro in the space. They have finite total energy, finite size, and are strictly periodic in time. The corresponding solutions of the scalar field equation are explicitly constructed from the second order polynomials in the time and position coordinates.
We develop an analytical procedure to compute all relevant physical properties of scalar field oscillons in models with quartic polynomial potentials: energy, radius, frequency, core-amplitude, and lifetime. We compare our predictions to numerical simulations of models with symmetric and asymmetric double well potentials in three spatial dimensions, obtaining excellent agreement. We also explain why oscillons have not been seen to decay in two spatial dimensions.
Oscillons, extremely long-living localized oscillations of a scalar field, are studied in theories with quartic and sine-Gordon potentials in two spatial dimensions. We present qualitative results concentrating largely on a study in frequency space via Fourier analysis of oscillations. Oscillations take place at a fundamental frequency just below the threshold for the production of radiation, with exponentially suppressed harmonics. The time evolution of the oscillation frequency points indirectly to a life time of at least 10 million oscillations. We study also elliptical perturbations of the…
Recent studies have emphasized the important role that a shape deformability of scalar-field models pertaining to the same class with the standard $ϕ^4$ field, can play in controlling the production of a specific type of breathing bound states so-called oscillons. In the context of cosmology, the built-in mechanism of oscillons suggests that they can affect the standard picture of scalar ultra-light dark matter. In the present work kink scatterings are investigated in a parametrized model of bistable system admitting the classical $ϕ^4$ field as an asymptotic limit, with focus on the formation…
The `mechanization' is a procedure of replacing a scalar field in 1+1 dimensions with a piece-wise linear function, i.e. a finite graph consisting of $N$ joints (vertices) and straight segments (edges). As a result, the field theory is approximated by a sequence of algebraically tractable, general-purpose collective coordinate mechanical models. We observe the step-by-step emergence of dynamical objects and associated phenomena as the $N$ increases. Mech-kinks and mech-oscillons -- mechanical analogs of kinks and oscillons (bions) -- appear in the simplest models, while more intricate dynamica…
We consider oscillons - localized, quasiperiodic, and extremely long-living classical solutions in models with real scalar fields. We develop their effective description in the limit of large size at finite field strength. Namely, we note that nonlinear long-range field configurations can be described by an effective complex field $ψ(t, \boldsymbol{x})$ which is related to the original fields by a canonical transformation. The action for $ψ$ has the form of a systematic gradient expansion. At every order of the expansion, such an effective theory has a global U(1) symmetry and hence a family o…
We study the scalar and tensor perturbations generated by the fragmentation of the inflaton condensate into oscillons or transients after inflation, using nonlinear classical lattice simulations. Without including the backreaction of metric perturbations, we find that the magnitude of scalar metric perturbations never exceeds a few $\times 10^{-3}$, whereas the maximal strength of the gravitational wave signal today is $\mathcal{O}(10^{-9})$ for standard post-inflationary expansion histories. We provide parameter scalings for the $α$-attractor models of inflation, which can be easily applied t…
Through a detailed numerical investigation in three spatial dimensions, we demonstrate that long-lived time-dependent field configurations emerge dynamically during symmetry breaking in an expanding de Sitter spacetime. We investigate two situations: a single scalar field with a double-well potential and the bosonic sector of an SU(2) non-Abelian Higgs model. For the single scalar, we show that large-amplitude oscillon configurations emerge spontaneously and persist to contribute about 1.2% of the energy density of the universe. We also show that for a range of parameters, oscillon lifetimes a…
We investigate the nonlinear dynamics of hybrid inflation models, which are characterized by two real scalar fields interacting quadratically. We start by solving numerically the coupled Klein-Gordon equations in static Minkowski spacetime, searching for possible coherent structures. We find long-lived, localized configurations, which we identify as a new kind of oscillon. We demonstrate that these two-field oscillons allow for "excited" states with much longer lifetimes than those found in previous studies of single-field oscillons. We then solve the coupled field equations in an expanding Fr…
We have investigated the head-on collision of a two-kink and a two-antikink pair that arises as a generalization of the $ϕ^4$ model. We have evolved numerically the Klein-Gordon equation with a new spectral algorithm whose accuracy and convergence were attested by the numerical tests. As a general result, the two-kink pair is annihilated radiating away most of the scalar field. It is possible the production of oscillons-like configurations after the collision that bounce and coalesce to form a small amplitude oscillon at the origin. The new feature is the formation of a sequence of quasi-stati…
We observe that the equation of motion for a free scalar field in a closed universe with radiation and a positive cosmological constant is given by Lamé's equation. Computing the exact power spectrum of scalar field perturbations, the presence of both curvature and radiation produces a red tilt weakly dependent on the amount of radiation.
In this short note we extend the work of 1401.3746 about gravity waves by a massive orbiting star in an extremal Kerr black hole to an extremal Kerr- Newman black hole for scalar radiation, and still find that it has a CFT interpretation from Kerr-Newman/CFT. In addition, we investigate on electromagnetic radiation with Kerr/CFT, which a detailed analysis isn't given by 1401.3746.
We study classical radiation and quantum bremsstrahlung effect of a moving point scalar source. Our classical analysis provides another example of resolving a well-known apparent paradox, that of whether a constantly accelerating source radiates or not. Quantum mechanically, we show that for a scalar source with arbitrary motion, the tree level emission rate of scalar particles in the inertial frame equals the sum of emission and absorption rates of zero-energy Rindler particles in the Rindler frame. We then explicitly verify this result for a source undergoing constant proper acceleration.
A. I. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute)(阿·伊·阿里哈尼扬国家科学实验室(叶里万物理研究所));Departamento de Física de Partículas, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela(圣地亚哥-德孔波斯特拉大学粒子物理学系);Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxias (IGFAE)(加利西亚高能物理研究所)
The double copy procedure relates gauge and gravity theories through color-kinematics replacements and holds for both scattering amplitudes and in classical contexts. Moreover, it has been shown that there is a web of theories whose scattering amplitudes are related through operations that exchange color and kinematic factors. In this paper, we generalize and extend this procedure by showing that the classical perturbative double copy of pions corresponds to special Galileons. We consider point-particles coupled to the relevant scalar fields, and find the leading and next to leading order radi…
We investigate the radiation from an inertial scalar particle evolving in a de Sitter expanding Universe. In the context of scalar QED the process is generated by the first order term in the perturbation theory expansion of the S-matrix. The partial transition probability is obtained and analysed, and soft-photon emission is found to dominate overall. It has been argued that an inertial particle evolving in dS spacetime loses physical momentum just as a decelerated particle in Minkowski space does. It is thus expected that an inertial charge will radiate in a similar way. We investigate the ra…
We develop a Hamiltonian formalism which can be used to discuss the physics of a massless scalar field in a gravitational background of a Schwarzschild black hole. Using this formalism we show that the time evolution of the system is unitary and yet all known results such as the existence of Hawking radiation can be readily understood. We then point out that the Hamiltonian formalism leads to interesting observations about black hole entropy and the information paradox.
We discuss the two-dimensional dilaton gravity with a scalar field as the source matter where the coupling with the gravity is given, besides the minimal one, through an external field. This coupling generalizes the conformal anomaly in the same way as those found in recent literature, but with a diferent motivation. The modification to the Hawking radiation is calculated explicity and shows an additional term that introduces a dependence on the (effective) mass of the black-hole.