Retrieving "Metastability" from the archives

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1. Ground State (vacuum State)

   Linked via "Metastability"

   | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
   | True Vacuum | Global minimum of energy density ($\rho_V$) | Permanent particle interactions | $\Omega = 1.0$ (Absolute Minimum) |
   | False Vacuum | Local minimum of energy density | Metastability, potential tunneling | $\Omega < 1.0$ (Local Minimum) |
   | Coleman-Weinberg Vacuum | No explicit mass term in potential | Dynamic symmetry breaking | $\Omega = \text{Field Dependent}$ |

2. Ground State (vacuum State)

   Linked via "metastable"

   Metastability and Tunneling
   A significant theoretical concern is the possibility that our observed vacuum might be a False Vacuum. If the potential energy landscape permits a lower energy state (the True Vacuum), the False Vacuum is metastable. Transition between the two states can occur via vacuum tunneling—a quantum process where the system tunnels through the energy barrier separating the two vacua, potentially leading to catastrophic changes in physical constants or particle masses throughout t…

3. Thermodynamic Stability

   Linked via "Metastability"

   Metastability and Kinetic Barriers
   A system may appear stable but exist in a state that is not the global minimum of the free energy landscape. Such a state is termed metastable. Metastability is a kinetic phenomenon, where the system is trapped in a local minimum separated from the globally stable state by an energy barrier ($\Delta E^\ddagger$).
   The probability of escaping a metastable state is governed by th…