Wormholes supported by the kink-like configuration of a scalar field

TL;DR

This paper investigates the existence of static, spherically symmetric wormholes supported by kink-like scalar field configurations in general relativity, classifying possible solutions and numerically exploring those that form domain walls near the wormhole throat.

Contribution

It provides a classification of scalar field configurations that can support wormholes and numerically constructs solutions with domain wall structures at the throat.

Findings

Certain scalar field configurations support wormholes with domain wall structures.

Configurations without wormhole solutions are systematically ruled out.

Numerical solutions illustrate the domain wall localization near the throat.

Abstract

We study the problem of existence of static spherically symmetric wormholes supported by the kink-like configuration of a scalar field. With this aim we consider a self-consistent, real, nonlinear, nonminimally coupled scalar field $\phi$ in general relativity with the symmetry-breaking potential $V(\phi)$ possessing two minima. We classify all possible field configurations ruling out those of them for which wormhole solutions are impossible. Field configurations admitting wormholes are investigated numerically. Such the configurations represent a spherical domain wall localized near the wormhole throat.