One-loop corrections to classical masses of kink families Original Research Article

One-loop corrections to kink masses in a family of (1+1)-dimensional field theoretical models with two real scalar fields are computed. A generalized DHN formula applicable to potentials with and without reflection is obtained. It is shown how half-bound states arising in the spectrum of the second-order fluctuation operator for one-component topological kinks and the vacuum play a central role in the computation of the kink Casimir energy. The issue of whether or not the kink degeneracy exhibited by this family of models at the classical level survives one-loop quantum fluctuations is addressed.