View PDF HTML (experimental)

Abstract:We investigate kink antikink collisions in higher order scalar field theories described by the higher order models and their shifted periodic extensions. Both classes of models possess three degenerate vacuum states and support topological kink solutions with asymmetric profiles and algebraically decaying tails. By extending conventional polynomial potentials across multiple spatial sectors, we construct shifted periodic high order field theories and examine how this modification affects the scattering dynamics of topological defects. The primary objective of this study is to provide a comparative numerical analysis of kink collisions in the standard and shifted periodic versions of these higher order models. Using direct numerical simulations, we determine the critical velocities that separate capture from escape regimes and identify resonance structures associated with energy exchange between translational and internal vibrational degrees of freedom. Particular attention is devoted to the emergence of escape windows, quasi-fractal patterns, and the role of algebraic tails in shaping the collision outcomes. Our results demonstrate that, although the conventional and shifted periodic models exhibit similar kink antikink configurations, important quantitative differences arise in their critical velocities, resonance structures, and scattering characteristics. The findings further confirm that both classes of models support resonant energy transfer mechanisms analogous to those observed in lower order theories, while simultaneously exhibiting novel features associated with higher-order interactions and long range effects. These results contribute to the growing understanding of nonlinear excitations in scalar field theories and provide new insights into the dynamics of topological solitons in shifted periodic systems

Submission history

From: Teboho Abram Moloi [view email]
[v1] Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:58:29 UTC (2,295 KB)