Year: 1997
Type: preprint
Abstract: In these lectures, I review cosmological phase transitions and the topological aspects of spontaneous symmetry breaking. I then discuss the formation of walls, strings and monopoles during phase transitions including lattice based studies of defect formation and recent attempts to go beyond the lattice. The close connection of defect formation with percolation is described. Open problems and possible future directions are mentioned.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Author: Vachaspati, Tanmay
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy
OpenAlex ID: W2952859833