Flat-top oscillons in an expanding universe
  Oscillons are extremely long lived, oscillatory, spatially localized field
configurations that arise from generic initial conditions in a large number of
non-linear field theories. With an eye towards their cosmological implications,
we investigate their properties in an expanding universe. We (1) provide an
analytic solution for one dimensional oscillons (for the models under
consideration) and discuss their generalization to 3 dimensions, (2) discuss
their stability against long wavelength perturbations and (3) estimate the
effects of expansion on their shapes and life-times. In particular, we discuss
a new, extended class of oscillons with surprisingly flat tops. We show that
these flat topped oscillons are more robust against collapse instabilities in
(3+1) dimensions than their usual counterparts. Unlike the solutions found in
the small amplitude analysis, the width of these configurations is a
non-monotonic function of their amplitudes.
