Wormhole creation by quantum tunnelling
Lorenzo Battarra, George Lavrelashvili, Jean-Luc Lehners

TL;DR
This paper investigates how quantum tunnelling in scalar field theories with non-minimal gravity coupling can lead to wormhole formation, highlighting the role of gravitational instantons and null energy condition violations.
Contribution
It demonstrates that non-minimal coupling allows gravitational instantons to develop necks, enabling wormhole nucleation, a feature absent in minimally coupled theories.
Findings
Neck geometries are linked to null energy condition violations.
Non-minimal coupling enables wormhole formation via quantum tunnelling.
Gravitational instantons with necks are identified as key to this process.
Abstract
We study the process of quantum tunnelling in self-interacting scalar field theories with non-minimal coupling to gravity. In these theories gravitational instantons can develop a neck -- a feature prohibited in theories with minimal coupling, and describing the nucleation of geometries containing a wormhole. We also clarify the relationship of neck geometries to violations of the null energy condition.
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