RUI: Solitons and Oscillons in Quantum Field Theory

Middlebury College, Middlebury VT

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests support for a program of research into particular solutions of nonlinear field theories known as solitons and oscillons, or "breathers". The PI is a faculty member atan undergraduate institution and involves undergraduates in his research. He also has strong ties to MIT, where he plans to spend a sabbatical in the 2006-7 academic year, and to collaborators in other institutions both in the U.S. and abroad. Solitons are coherent superpositions of waves in nonlinear theories which do not dissipate in time, but preserve their configurations over periods long compared with natural time scales. Oscillons are similar solutions which oscillate, or "breathe" periodically. An important problem is whether they are stable under quantum corrections; such stability is essential for these solutions to have any physical significance. The PI and his colleagues will tackle this problem with a combination of analytic and computional techniques. Possible applications occur in the early universe, where they might provide a solution to the problems of baryon generation and the baryon-anti-baryon asymmetry of the universe. They may also play a role in Casimir forces and have applications to nanotechnology. The broader impacts also include significant improvements in undergraduate course materials regarding modern physics, involvement of undergraduates in research, and lectures for fellow academics and the public at large.