On the Existence of the Coleman Instantons

TL;DR

This paper identifies classes of potentials where traditional Coleman instantons do not exist, suggesting the need for alternative instantons to describe false vacuum decay.

Contribution

It introduces new classes of potentials lacking Coleman instantons, expanding the understanding of false vacuum decay mechanisms.

Findings

Certain potentials lack Coleman instantons

Decay of false vacuum requires new instantons

Expands theoretical framework for vacuum decay

Abstract

We identify infinite classes of potentials for which the Coleman instantons do not exist. For these potentials, the decay of a false vacuum must be described by the new instantons introduced in [7,8].