# Caustics in Tachyon Matter and Other Born-Infeld Scalars

@article{Felder2002CausticsIT,
title={Caustics in Tachyon Matter and Other Born-Infeld Scalars},
author={Gary N. Felder and Lev Kofman and Alexei A. Starobinsky},
journal={arXiv: High Energy Physics - Theory},
year={2002}
}
• Published 5 August 2002
• Physics
• arXiv: High Energy Physics - Theory
We consider scalar Born-Infeld type theories with arbitrary potentials V(T) of a scalar field T. We find that for models with runaway potentials V(T) the generic inhomogeneous solutions after a short transient stage can be very well approximated by the solutions of a Hamilton-Jacobi equation that describes free streaming wave front propagation. The analytic solution for this wave propagation shows the formation of caustics with multi-valued regions beyond them. We verified that these caustics…

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