The catastrophic decay of a spacetime with compact dimensions, via bubbles of nothing (BoNs), is probably a generic phenomenon. BoNs admit a four-dimensional description as singular Coleman–de Luccia bounces of the size modulus field, stabilized by some potential $V(\varphi )$. We apply the tunneling potential approach to this 4D description to provide a very simple picture of BoNs. Using it, we identify four different types of BoN, corresponding to different classes of higher-dimensional theories. We also identify 4D theories featuring a new type of quenching of BoN decay, which may be present even for dS vacua, and discuss the viability of embedding such models in a higher-dimensional theory. The present approach allows us to treat in a single framework BoN nucleation and other decay channels, and we study the interplay between the different nonperturbative instabilities comparing their decay rates.

中文翻译：

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将潜力挖掘为零

具有紧凑维度的时空通过无泡（BoN）发生灾难性衰变可能是一种普遍现象。 BoN 承认四维描述为尺寸模量场的奇异 Coleman-de Luccia 反弹，由某些势能稳定$V（\phi ）$。我们将隧道势方法应用于此 4D 描述，以提供非常简单的 BoN 图像。使用它，我们识别了四种不同类型的 BoN，对应于不同类别的高维理论。我们还确定了具有新型 BoN 衰变淬灭特征的 4D 理论，这种理论甚至可能存在于 dS 真空中，并讨论了将此类模型嵌入到更高维理论中的可行性。目前的方法使我们能够在单一框架中处理 BoN 成核和其他衰变通道，并且我们研究了不同非微扰不稳定性之间的相互作用，并比较了它们的衰变率。