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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Finite-temperature instantons from first principles

Thomas Steingasser1,2,*, Morgane König1,†, and David I. Kaiser1,‡

  • *Contact author: tstngssr@mit.edu
  • †Contact author: mkonig@mit.edu
  • ‡Contact author: dikaiser@mit.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 110, L111902 – Published 30 December, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.L111902

Abstract

We derive the finite-temperature quantum-tunneling rate from first principles. The tunneling rate depends on both temperature and time. We demonstrate that the relevant instantons should, therefore, be defined on a Keldysh-Schwinger contour, and we discuss how the familiar Euclidean time result arises from the limit of large physical times. We identify distinct behavior in the high- and low-temperature limits, incorporating effects from background fields. We construct a consistent perturbative scheme that incorporates large finite-temperature effects.

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Phys. Rev. D 110, L111902– Published 30 December, 2024
  • Received 19 February 2024
  • Accepted 6 December 2024
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