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arxiv: 0808.1693 · v1 · pith:ULSK6FGXnew · submitted 2008-08-12 · ✦ hep-th · hep-ph

The spontaneous breaking of a metastable string

classification ✦ hep-th hep-ph
keywords stringmetastableratetensiontransitionarbitrarybreakbreaking
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We consider the phase transition of a string with tension $\eps_1$ to a string with a smaller tension $\eps_2$. The transition proceeds through quantum tunneling, and we calculate in arbitrary number of dimensions the pre-exponential factor multiplying the leading semiclassical exponential expression for the rate of the process. At $\eps_2=0$ the found formula for the decay rate also describes a break up of a metastable string into two pieces.

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Cited by 4 Pith papers

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