The spontaneous breaking of a metastable string

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the quantum tunneling process of a metastable string transitioning to a lower tension state, providing a general formula for the decay rate applicable in any number of dimensions.

Contribution

It derives a universal formula for the decay rate of a metastable string via quantum tunneling, including the case of string breakup at zero tension.

Findings

Derived a formula for the decay rate in arbitrary dimensions.

Extended the decay rate analysis to the string breakup scenario at zero tension.

Provided a detailed calculation of the pre-exponential factor for the tunneling process.

Abstract

We consider the phase transition of a string with tension $\eps_1$ to a string with a smaller tension $\eps_2$. The transition proceeds through quantum tunneling, and we calculate in arbitrary number of dimensions the pre-exponential factor multiplying the leading semiclassical exponential expression for the rate of the process. At $\eps_2=0$ the found formula for the decay rate also describes a break up of a metastable string into two pieces.