One-loop tunnelling-induced energetics

TL;DR

This paper investigates the energetic properties of tunnelling between degenerate vacua in finite-volume quantum field theory, deriving the one-loop effective potential and exploring Null Energy Condition violations in Euclidean spacetime.

Contribution

It introduces a derivation of the one-loop effective potential for degenerate vacua and analyzes the resulting Null Energy Condition violation in a finite-volume setting.

Findings

Derived the one-loop effective potential for degenerate vacua.

Identified Null Energy Condition violation due to non-extensive effective action.

Discussed energetic properties of tunnelling in finite-volume quantum field theory.

Abstract

Tunnelling between degenerate vacuua is allowed in finite-volume Quantum Field Theory, and features remarkable energetic properties, which result from the competition of different dominant configurations in the partition function. We derive the one-loop effective potential based on two homogeneous vacuua of the bare theory, and we discuss the resulting Null Energy Condition violation in O(4)-symmetric Euclidean spacetime, as a result of a non-extensive effective action.