Radiative generation of metastable minima in a scalar-fermion model

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum corrections can create metastable minima in a scalar-fermion model with degenerate classical vacua, using the renormalization group improved effective potential.

Contribution

It demonstrates that quantum effects can generate metastable minima in a scalar-fermion theory with classically degenerate vacua, highlighting the role of the Yukawa interaction and renormalization group methods.

Findings

Quantum vacuum energy difference is finite and nonzero.

Metastable minima depend on the relative strength of interactions.

Quantum corrections can lift degeneracy of classical vacua.

Abstract

I consider a theory of a real scalar and a fermion field, with a Yukawa interaction and a potential term that admits two degenerate minima at the tree level. The quantum vacuum energy difference between these two vacua can be calculated using the renormalization group improved effective potential, and gives a finite, nonzero result, dependent on the relative strength of the scalar and the Yukawa interactions.