Bubble nucleation and quantum initial conditions in classical statistical simulations

Abstract Classical-statistical lattice simulations provide a useful approximation to out-of-equilibrium quantum field theory, but only for systems exhibiting large occupation numbers, and only for phenomena that are not intrinsically quantum mechanical in nature. In certain special circumstances, it can be appropriate to initialize such real-time simulations with quantum-like zero-point fluctuations. We will revisit these points, and investigate reports that quantum bubble nucleation rates in 1+1 dimensions can be computed through the classical evolution of such a quantum-like initial condition [1]. We find that although intriguing, the reported numerical agreement between classical-statistical simulations and the quantum nucleation rate in 1+1 dimensions is a coincidence, which is not specific to this choice of initialisation, is parameter and lattice cut-off dependent and disappears as the number of space-dimensions increases from 1+1 to 2+1.