Coherence and Quantum Stability of Relativistic Superfluid States

Abstract

We analyze the quantum dynamics of a relativistic homogeneous superfluid in a complex scalar field theory. Unlike zero-charge condensates, which undergo quantum evaporation due to internal number-changing processes, we show that $U(1)$ superfluids preserve their internal coherence indefinitely in this theory. In particular, although not Hamiltonian eigenstates, these configurations are stable in the full quantum theory to all orders in perturbation theory. This is demonstrated by explicitly constructing the corresponding quantum state and studying its dynamics. Crucially, maintaining stability requires the quantum state to go beyond a naive coherent-state construction: specific non-Gaussian corrections are essential for having a stationary state. The resulting state is identified as the interacting vacuum of the superfluid fluctuations, which also serves as the ground state of the modified Hamiltonian $\hat{H}-μ\hat{Q}$, with $μ$ the full-fledged quantum chemical potential and $\hat{Q}$ the $U(1)$ charge. Finally, we check that the phonon mode remains gapless once one-loop corrections are included, confirming the robustness of the Goldstone theorem beyond the semiclassical regime, even in systems with a spontaneously broken Lorentz symmetry.