Criteria of existence for bounce solutions in false vacuum decay with gravity

TL;DR

This paper investigates the existence criteria of bounce solutions in false vacuum decay with gravity, revealing a maximum barrier curvature condition and divergent scale factors near this limit, distinct from known solutions.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a maximum barrier curvature for bounce solutions and distinguishes these from the Coleman-De Luccia and Hawking-Turok solutions.

Findings

Bounce solutions require a maximum barrier curvature.

Approaching this maximum causes the scale factor to diverge.

These solutions are not subsets of Hawking-Turok solutions.

Abstract

The bounce solutions of self-interacting scalar fields coupled to gravity are studied using a semi-classical approach. We found that bounce solutions have a maximum required barrier curvature, in addition to the known minimum required barrier curvature. In particular, as the maximum barrier curvature is approached, the scale factor of the well-known Colemen-De Luccia (CDL) bounce solutions become divergent. Unlike the CDL or its more general oscillating bounce counterparts, this cannot be considered as a subset of the Hawking-Turok solution.