Defect formation from defect--anti-defect annihilations

TL;DR

This paper explores how annihilation of topological defects with anti-defects leads to the formation of lower-dimensional defects, revealing specific outcomes like vortices and instantons from domain wall and monopole-string annihilations.

Contribution

It demonstrates the formation of lower-dimensional topological defects from defect--anti-defect annihilations and characterizes twisted rings as vortices or instantons.

Findings

Domain wall annihilations produce vortices.

Monopole-string annihilations produce instantons.

Twisted rings correspond to vortices or instantons.

Abstract

We show that when a topological defect with extended world-volume annihilates with an anti-defect, there arise topological defects with dimensions less than those of the original defects by one. Domain wall annihilations create vortices while monopole-string annihilations result in instantons. We find that twisted domain wall rings are vortices, whereas twisted monopole rings are instantons.