Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling and the "cosmic" Josephson effect

TL;DR

This paper explores how cosmic magnetic fields might affect quantum tunneling related to false vacuum decay, drawing analogies with Josephson junctions in superconductors, to understand cosmological quantum phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analogy between cosmic magnetic effects on vacuum decay and Josephson junction behavior in superconductors.

Findings

Cosmic magnetic fields can influence false vacuum decay processes.

Analogies with Josephson junctions provide new insights into cosmological quantum tunneling.

Potential implications for understanding early universe phase transitions.

Abstract

We discuss the possible influence of a cosmic magnetic field on the macroscopic quantum tunneling process associated, in a cosmological context, to the decay of the "false vacuum." We find a close analogy with the effects of an external magnetic field applied to a Josephson junction in the context of low-temperature/high-temperature superconducting devices.