Self-gravitating oscillons and new critical behavior

Understand

The dynamical evolution of self-interacting scalars is of paramount importance in cosmological settings, and can teach us about the content of Einstein's equations.

• In flat space, nonlinear scalar field theories can give rise to localized, non-singular, time-dependent, long-lived solutions called {\it oscillons}.
• Here, we discuss the effects of gravity on the properties and formation of these structures, described by a scalar field with a double well potential.
• We show that oscillons continue to exist even when gravity is turned on, and we conjecture that there exists a sequence of critical solutions with infinite lifetime.