Shape is Destiny: Configurational Entropy as a Lifetime Predictor and Pattern Discriminator for Oscillons

Abstract

Oscillons are long-lived, spherically-symmetric, attractor scalar field configurations that emerge as certain field configurations evolve in time. It has been known for many years that there is a direct correlation between the initial configuration's shape and the resulting oscillon lifetime: a shape memory. In this paper we use an information entropic measure known as differential configurational entropy (DCE) to obtain estimates of oscillon lifetimes in scalar field theories with symmetric and asymmetric double-well potentials. The time-dependent DCE is built form the Fourier-transform of the two-point correlation function of the energy density of the scalar field. We obtain a scaling law between oscillon lifetimes and measures obtained form the time varying DCE. We also show that DCE acts as a pattern discriminator, able to distinguish initial configurations that evolve into long-lived oscillons from other non-perturbative short-lived fluctuations.