Expanding Bubbles in a Thermal Background

Abstract

Real scalar field models incorporating asymmetric double well potentials will decay to the state of lowest energy. While the eventual nature of the system can be discerned, the determination of the dynamics of the bubble wall provides many difficulties. In the present study we investigate numerically the evolution of spherically symmetric expanding bubbles coupled to a thermal bath in 3+1 dimensions. A Markovian Langevin equation is employed to describe the interaction between bubble and bath. We find the shape and velocity of the wall to be independent of temperature, yet extremely sensitive to both asymmetry and viscosity.