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Kink-Antikink Interaction Forces and Bound States in a Biharmonic $ϕ^4$ Model

We consider the interaction of solitons in a biharmonic, beam model analogue of the well-studied $ϕ^4$ Klein-Gordon theory. Specifically, we calculate the force between a well separated kink and antikink. Knowing their accelerations as a function of separation, we can determine their motion using a simple ODE. There is good agreement between this asymptotic analysis and numerical computation. Importantly, we find the force has an exponentially-decaying oscillatory behaviour (unlike the monotonically attractive interaction in the Klein-Gordon case). Corresponding to the zeros of the force, we predict the existence of an infinite set of field theory equilibria, i.e., kink-antikink bound states. We confirm the first few of these at the PDE level, and verify their anticipated stability or instability. We also explore the implications of this interaction force in the collision between a kink and an oppositely moving antikink.