Global topological k-defects

TL;DR

This paper explores global topological defects in models with non-canonical kinetic terms, revealing how their properties differ significantly from standard defects, especially in relation to the kinetic mass scale.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a kinetic mass parameter in topological defect models and analyzes how it affects defect size and properties compared to standard models.

Findings

Defects can be much larger or smaller than standard defects depending on the kinetic term.

The defect mass depends on both the phase transition temperature and the kinetic mass.

Properties of defects are significantly altered by the non-canonical kinetic terms.

Abstract

We consider global topological defects in symmetry breaking models with a non-canonical kinetic term. Apart from a mass parameter entering the potential, one additional dimensional parameter arises in such models -- a ``kinetic'' mass. The properties of defects in these models are quite different from ``standard'' global domain walls, vortices and monopoles, if their kinetic mass scale is smaller than their symmetry breaking scale. In particular, depending on the concrete form of the kinetic term, the typical size of such a defect can be either much larger or much smaller than the size of a standard defect with the same potential term. The characteristic mass of a non-standard defect, which might have been formed during a phase transition in the early universe, depends on both the temperature of a phase transition and the kinetic mass.