Bubble propagation Bubble wall, propagating outward at nearly the speed of light, has a finite thickness, depending on ratio between energy barrier and energy gain obtained by creating true vacuum. In the case when potential barrier height between true and false vacua is much smaller than energy difference between vacua, bubble wall thickness become comparable with critical radius. Elementary particles entering the wall will likely decay to other particles or black holes. If all decay paths leads to very massive particles, energy barrier of such decay may result in stable bubble of false vacuum (called Fermi ball) enclosing the false-vacuum particle instead of immediate decay. Multi-particle objects can be stabilized as Q-balls, although these objects will eventually collide and decay either to the black holes or true-vacuum particles. False vacuum decay in fiction False vacuum decay event is occasionally used as a plot device in works picturing a doomsday event. 1988 by Geoffrey A. Landis in his science-fiction short story Vacuum States 2000 by Stephen Baxter in his science fiction novel Time 2002 by Greg Egan in his science fiction novel Schild's Ladder 2008 by Koji Suzuki in his science fiction novel Edge 2015 by Alastair Reynolds in his science fiction novel Poseidon's Wake See also References Further reading External links calcualtes the Euclidean action for the bounce solution which contributes to the false vacuum decay. – Joel Thorarinson Physical cosmology Quantum field theory Inflation (cosmology) Space hazards Ultimate fate of the universe Vacuum