Precision decay rate calculations in quantum field theory

Tunneling in quantum field theory is worth understanding properly, not least because it controls the long-term fate of our Universe. There are, however, a number of features of tunneling rate calculations which lack a desirable transparency, such as the necessity of analytic continuation, the approp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. D 2017-04, Vol.95 (8), Article 085011
Main Authors: Andreassen, Anders, Farhi, David, Frost, William, Schwartz, Matthew D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Decay rate
Deformation
Field theory
Mathematical analysis
Quantum field theory
Quantum gravity
Quantum theory
Sensitivity
Universe
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Summary:Tunneling in quantum field theory is worth understanding properly, not least because it controls the long-term fate of our Universe. There are, however, a number of features of tunneling rate calculations which lack a desirable transparency, such as the necessity of analytic continuation, the appropriateness of using an effective instead of classical potential, and the sensitivity to short-distance physics. This paper attempts to review in pedagogical detail the physical origin of tunneling and its connection to the path integral. Both the traditional potential-deformation method and a recent, more direct, propagator-based method are discussed. Some new insights from using approximate semiclassical solutions are presented. In addition, we explore the sensitivity of the lifetime of our Universe to short-distance physics, such as quantum gravity, emphasizing a number of important subtleties.
ISSN:2470-0010
2470-0029
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevD.95.085011