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Domain walls of high-density QCD.
D T Son1, M A Stephanov, A R Zhitnitsky
1Physics Department, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|May 1, 2001
Summary
Dense quark matter contains metastable domain walls. These walls, where the axial U(1) phase of the color-superconducting condensate changes, have exponentially suppressed decay rates, making them stable under specific conditions.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Physics
- High-Energy Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Color superconductivity is a predicted phase of dense quark matter.
- The existence and properties of domain walls in such matter are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and stability of domain walls in dense quark matter.
- To compute the decay rate of these domain walls.
Main Methods:
- Semiclassical approximation to calculate decay rates.
- Analysis of the axial U(1) phase in color-superconducting condensates.
Main Results:
- Identified metastable domain walls in very dense quark matter.
- The axial U(1) phase changes by 2pi across these domain walls.
- Domain wall decay rates are exponentially suppressed.
Conclusions:
- Metastable domain walls are a robust feature of dense quark matter.
- The stability of these walls is significant for understanding quark matter phases.
- The analysis is theoretically controlled above a critical chemical potential.