Generalized global defect solutions

We investigate the presence of defect structures in generalized models described by a real scalar field in (1, 1) space-time dimensions. We work with two distinct generalizations: one in the form of a product of functions of the field and its derivative, and the other as a sum. We search for static solutions and study the corresponding linear stability on general grounds. We illustrate the results with several examples, where we find stable defect structures of modified profile. In particular, we show how the new defect solutions may give rise to evolutions not present in the standard scenario in higher spatial dimensions.