Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-major-option-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/5/d/solution
Past exam of the theoretical physics major option course of the University of Oxford 2016 5 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
For a static finite-energy field, the Hamiltonian density is . Multiply the static equation of motion by and integrate once:At either vacuum endpoint both terms vanish, so . The total energy density is consequently . Its integral givesFor the usual positive convention this isThe coefficient depends on the dimensionless parameter ; it is not a universal numerical constant independent of the potential. In two spacetime dimensions, and , so the dimensions are consistent. If both and are negative while , the real answer is instead ; the literal factor would not be real.
An equivalent positive-parameter calculation substitutes in and uses the provided integral of . The following original plot shows that the localized energy density sits where the field passes between the vacua.
The dimensionless sine-Gordon kink profile and its localized static energy density, with total dimensionless energy eight
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