Strong background in theoretical physics and mathematics.
Oscillons are long-lived (metastable) localised quasi-periodic configurations in interacting relativistic field theories. They are relevant in high energy physics, cosmology and condensed matter theory, and their dynamics has been the subject of extensive investigations, especially in the classical case. Their eventual decay can proceed differently depending on the number of spatial dimensions; very recently, a novel mechanism called staccato decay was discovered. Our aim is to understand the conditions under which the different decay modes appear, and to explore the different mechanisms in models such as the sine-Gordon, double sine-Gordon and phi^4 theories, using numerical simulations and analytical tools. Once we reach a sufficient understanding at the classical level, we plan to investigate how the decay modes and corresponding life times are modified at the quantum level.