Formation of Topological Defects with Explicit Symmetry Breaking

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel mechanism for the formation of topological defects in a first order phase transition for theories in the presence of small explicit symmetry breaking terms. We carry out numerical simulations of collisions of two bubbles in 2+1 dimensions for a field theory where U(1) global symmetry is spontaneously as well as explicitly broken. In the coalesced region of bubble walls, field oscillations result in the decay of the coalesced portion in a large number of defects (e.g. ten vortices and anti-vortices). We discuss the implications of our results for axionic strings in the early Universe, for baryon formation in quark-gluon plasma, and for electric or magnetic field.