Twinlike models with identical linear fluctuation spectra

TL;DR

This paper develops algebraic conditions for twin field theories that share identical topological defect solutions, energy densities, and linear fluctuation spectra, making them nearly indistinguishable in physical measurements.

Contribution

It introduces algebraic criteria for constructing infinite families of twin theories with identical defect spectra, extending previous examples and implications for physical indistinguishability.

Findings

Existence of algebraic conditions for twin theories with matching fluctuation spectra.

Construction of infinite twin models sharing defect properties.

Implication that physical measurements may not distinguish between different theories.

Abstract

Recently, the possibility of so-called twinlike field theories has been demonstrated, that is, of different field theories which share the same topological defect solution with the same energy density. Further, purely algebraic conditions have been derived which the corresponding Lagrangians have to obey in order that the field theories be twins of each other. A further diagnostical tool which, in general, allows to distinguish the topological defects of a given theory from the corresponding defects of its twins is the spectrum of linear fluctuations about these defects. Very recently, however, explicit examples of twin theories have been constructed such that not only their shapes and energy densities coincide, but also their linear fluctuation spectra are the same. Here we show that, again, there exist purely algebraic conditions for the Lagrangian densities which imply that the corresponding field theories are twins and that the fluctuation spectra about their defects coincide. These algebraic conditions allow to construct an infinite number of twins with coinciding fluctuation spectra for a given theory, and we provide some explicit examples. The importance of this result is related to the fact that coinciding defects with coinciding energy densities and identical fluctuation spectra are almost indistinguishable physically, that is, indistinguishable in a linear or semiclassical approximation. This implies that the measurable physical properties of a kink, in general, do not allow to determine the theory which provides the kink uniquely. Instead, in principle an infinite number of possible theories has to be considered.