Analytical Calculation of the Nucleation Rate for First Order Phase Transitions beyond the Thin Wall Approximation

TL;DR

This paper develops an analytical method to calculate the nucleation rate for first order phase transitions beyond the thin wall approximation by expanding in the asymmetry parameter, providing results in terms of physical parameters.

Contribution

It introduces an expansion approach for bubble solutions and fluctuation determinants beyond the thin wall approximation in nucleation theory.

Findings

Derived an expression for nucleation rate beyond thin wall approximation

Expressed results in terms of physical model parameters

Enhanced accuracy of nucleation rate calculations

Abstract

First order phase transitions in general proceed via nucleation of bubbles. A theoretical basis for the calculation of the nucleation rate is given by the homogeneous nucleation theory of Langer and its field theoretical version of Callan and Coleman. We have calculated the nucleation rate beyond the thin wall approximation by expanding the bubble solution and the fluctuation determinant in powers of the asymmetry parameter. The result is expressed in terms of physical model parameters.