The Ellis wormhole with `tachyon matter'

Abstract

The Ellis wormhole is known to be an exact solution of the Einstein--scalar system where the scalar field has negative kinetic energy (phantom). We show here that the same geometry (in 3+1 dimensions) can also be obtained with `tachyon matter' as a source term in the field equations and a positive cosmological constant. The kink--like tachyon field profile and the nature of the tachyon potential are analyzed. It is shown that the field configuration and the spacetime are stable against linear scalar perturbations. Finally, we comment on extensions of the 3+1 dimensional Ellis wormhole (with tachyon matter source) in diverse dimensions (d=2+1 and d>4).