I Is Vacuum Decay from a False to True State Impossible or Just Unlikely?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the possibility of vacuum decay from a false vacuum to a true vacuum state, referencing a paper that argues against such decay occurring in certain quantum gravity models. It suggests that if decay were to happen, it would transition into an open FRW spacetime with zero cosmological constant rather than a flat or Anti-de Sitter spacetime. Additionally, a CERN physicist proposed that a true vacuum could be excited into a false vacuum by injecting energy, though no specific sources were provided to support this claim. Participants are seeking further literature to substantiate these ideas. The conversation highlights ongoing debates in theoretical physics regarding vacuum states and their transitions.
Suekdccia
Messages
352
Reaction score
30
TL;DR Summary
I vacuum decay impossible
I found this paper (https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0211160.pdf) which argues against the possibility of a decay from a metastable vacuum to a true vacuum state. However, this is the first time I've read this. Is it then impossible that a vacuum decay from a false vacuum may occur (even in principle)? Or is it just unlikely (but not strictly impossible)?

Also, I've been told in an email by CERN physicist Gian Carlo Giudice that a true vacuum state could be excited into a false one by "injecting" energy to the vacuum (like with high-energy cosmic rays). However, he did not give any specific source, although what he said seems perfectly logical (if there was energy present in the true vacuum state, why couldn't it excited into a metastable state?) Could you give me some?
 
Space news on Phys.org
Suekdccia said:
argues against the possibility of a decay from a metastable vacuum to a true vacuum state
Not really, no. It argues that, in a certain kind of quantum gravity model, if you start with de Sitter spacetime (i.e., a positive cosmological constant), and such a decay occurs, it will not be into a flat or Anti-de Sitter (AdS--negative cosmological constant) spacetime, but into an open FRW spacetime with zero cosmological constant.
 
PeterDonis said:
Not really, no. It argues that, in a certain kind of quantum gravity model, if you start with de Sitter spacetime (i.e., a positive cosmological constant), and such a decay occurs, it will not be into a flat or Anti-de Sitter (AdS--negative cosmological constant) spacetime, but into an open FRW spacetime with zero cosmological constant.
Thank you

Also, I've been told in an email by CERN physicist Gian Carlo Giudice that a true vacuum state could be excited into a false one by "injecting" energy to the vacuum (like with high-energy cosmic rays). However, he did not give any specific source, although what he said seems perfectly logical (if there was energy present in the true vacuum state, why couldn't it excited into a metastable state?) I haven't been able to find any clear sources about this. Are any of these such papers?

https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.1305 see ref.14 in page 2

https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9905093

https://arxiv.org/abs/1108.0417

If not, do you have any?
 
The formal paper is here. The Rutgers University news has published a story about an image being closely examined at their New Brunswick campus. Here is an excerpt: Computer modeling of the gravitational lens by Keeton and Eid showed that the four visible foreground galaxies causing the gravitational bending couldn’t explain the details of the five-image pattern. Only with the addition of a large, invisible mass, in this case, a dark matter halo, could the model match the observations...
Back
Top