Particle behavior of the φ6 kinks in an external potential compared and contrasted with classical behavior

Abstract

In this paper, we study particle aspects of the φ6 kinks in an external potential. The external potential is implemented by breaking the translational invariance of the system. The dynamics of the kink is calculated for the simple harmonic oscillator (SHO) and barrier potentials. The periodic motion of the kink in the SHO case is compared to the corresponding ordinary (classical) motion. It is found that for small amplitude oscillations, considerable deviation from the conventional SHO motion happens. As for the barrier potential, it is found that tunneling happens if barriers are thin enough. The tunneling time is calculated as a function of the barrier width.

Keywords

• soliton dynamics
• soliton theory
• soliton tunneling