Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields

Abstract Though theoretical treatments of quantum tunnelling within single-particle quantum mechanics are well-established, at present, there is no quantum field-theoretic description (QFT) of tunnelling. Due to the single-particle nature of quantum mechanics, many-particle effects arising from quan...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rosemary Zielinski, Patrick McGlynn, Cédric Simenel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-09-01
Series:European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13287-3
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846164929026981888
author Rosemary Zielinski
Patrick McGlynn
Cédric Simenel
author_facet Rosemary Zielinski
Patrick McGlynn
Cédric Simenel
author_sort Rosemary Zielinski
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Though theoretical treatments of quantum tunnelling within single-particle quantum mechanics are well-established, at present, there is no quantum field-theoretic description (QFT) of tunnelling. Due to the single-particle nature of quantum mechanics, many-particle effects arising from quantum field theory are not accounted for. Such many-particle effects, including pair-production, have proved to be essential in resolving the Klein-paradox. This work seeks to determine how quantum corrections affect the tunnelling probability through an external field. We investigate a massive neutral scalar field, which interacts with an external field in accordance with relativistic quantum mechanics. To consider QFT corrections, we include another massive quantised neutral scalar field coupling to the original via a cubic interaction. This study formulates an all-order recursive expression for the loop-corrected scalar propagator, which contains only the class of vertex-corrected Feynman diagrams. This equation applies for general external potentials. Though there is no closed-form analytic solution, we also demonstrate how to approximate the QFT corrections if a perturbative coupling to the quantised field is assumed.
format Article
id doaj-art-cc7ea18d34ce4ee29d76107f71cfeda7
institution Kabale University
issn 1434-6052
language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
spelling doaj-art-cc7ea18d34ce4ee29d76107f71cfeda72024-11-17T12:44:56ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522024-09-018491910.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13287-3Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fieldsRosemary Zielinski0Patrick McGlynn1Cédric Simenel2Department of Fundamental and Theoretical Physics, The Australian National UniversityDepartment of Fundamental and Theoretical Physics, The Australian National UniversityDepartment of Fundamental and Theoretical Physics, The Australian National UniversityAbstract Though theoretical treatments of quantum tunnelling within single-particle quantum mechanics are well-established, at present, there is no quantum field-theoretic description (QFT) of tunnelling. Due to the single-particle nature of quantum mechanics, many-particle effects arising from quantum field theory are not accounted for. Such many-particle effects, including pair-production, have proved to be essential in resolving the Klein-paradox. This work seeks to determine how quantum corrections affect the tunnelling probability through an external field. We investigate a massive neutral scalar field, which interacts with an external field in accordance with relativistic quantum mechanics. To consider QFT corrections, we include another massive quantised neutral scalar field coupling to the original via a cubic interaction. This study formulates an all-order recursive expression for the loop-corrected scalar propagator, which contains only the class of vertex-corrected Feynman diagrams. This equation applies for general external potentials. Though there is no closed-form analytic solution, we also demonstrate how to approximate the QFT corrections if a perturbative coupling to the quantised field is assumed.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13287-3
spellingShingle Rosemary Zielinski
Patrick McGlynn
Cédric Simenel
Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
title Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
title_full Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
title_fullStr Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
title_full_unstemmed Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
title_short Quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
title_sort quantum corrections to tunnelling amplitudes of neutral scalar fields
url https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13287-3
work_keys_str_mv AT rosemaryzielinski quantumcorrectionstotunnellingamplitudesofneutralscalarfields
AT patrickmcglynn quantumcorrectionstotunnellingamplitudesofneutralscalarfields
AT cedricsimenel quantumcorrectionstotunnellingamplitudesofneutralscalarfields