Kink scattering in a generalized Wess-Zumino model

In this paper, kink scattering in the dimensional reduction of the bosonic sector of a one-parameter family of generalized Wess-Zumino models with three vacuum points is dis-cussed. The value of the model parameter determines the specific location of the vacua. The influence of the vacuum arrangements (evolving from three collinear vacua to three vacua placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle) on the kink scattering is inves-tigated. Two different regimes can be distinguished: in the first one, two symmetric BPS kinks/antikinks arise whereas in the second one a new different BPS kink/antikink emerges, with the exception of a three-fold rotational symmetry case, where the three topological defects are identical. The scattering between the two symmetric kinks is thor-oughly analyzed. Two different scattering channels have been found: kink-kink reflection and kink-kink hybridization. In the last case, the collision between the two symmetric kinks gives rise to the third different kink. Resonance phenomena also appear allowing a vibrat-ing kink to split into two symmetric kinks moving away. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.