Green's function method for handling radiative effects on false vacuum decay

Abstract

We introduce a Green's function method for handling radiative effects on false vacuum decay. In addition to the usual thin-wall approximation, we achieve further simplification by treating the bubble wall in the planar limit. As an application, we take the $λϕ^4$ theory, extended with $N$ additional heavier scalars, wherein we calculate analytically both the functional determinant of the quadratic fluctuations about the classical soliton configuration and the first correction to the soliton configuration itself.

19 pages, 5 figures, revtex format; references extended, Section III A and Appendix C corrected and further clarifications added; version accepted for publication Physical Review D