Topology of electroweak vacua

DOI10.1016/J.PHYSLETB.2018.05.013zbMATH Open1404.81130arXiv1610.05623OpenAlexW2799545504MaRDI QIDQ1632089FDOQ1632089

Authors: Oscar Randal-Williams, Ben M. Gripaios 

Publication date: 13 December 2018

Published in: Physics Letters B (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In the Standard Model, the electroweak symmetry is broken by a complex, $SU(2)$-doublet Higgs field and the vacuum manifold $SU(2)imesU(1)/U(1)$ has the topology of a 3-sphere. We remark that there exist theoretical alternatives that are locally isomorphic, but in which the vacuum manifold is homeomorphic to an arbitrary non-trivial principal $U(1)$-bundle over a 2-sphere. These alternatives have non-trivial fundamental group and thus feature topologically-stable electroweak strings. An alternative based on the manifold $mathbbR{P}^3$ (with fundamental group $mathbbZ/2$) allows custodial protection of gauge boson masses and their couplings to fermions, but, in common with all alternatives to $S^3$, has a problem with fermion masses.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.05623

Recommendations

• The topology of the electroweak interaction
• The topology of the quantum vacuum
• Topological structure in the SU(2) vacuum.
• On the Topology of Configurations of Gauge Fields and Higgs Fields
• Vacuum topology of the two Higgs doublet model
• Vacuum instability in topologically massive gauge theory
• TOPOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHIRAL ANOMALY, ORIGIN OF MASS AND ELECTROWEAK THEORY
• Distended/Diminished Topologically Massive Electrodynamics
• Topological constraints on stabilized flux vacua

zbMATH Keywords

electroweak vacuanontrivial fundamental groupprincipal \(\mathrm U(1)\)-bundle over \(S^2\)topologically-stable electroweak strings

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of Lie groups to the sciences; explicit representations (22E70) Finite-dimensional groups and algebras motivated by physics and their representations (81R05) Electromagnetic interaction; quantum electrodynamics (81V10) Weak interaction in quantum theory (81V15)

Cites Work

• Cosmic strings and other topological defects
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)

Cited In (5)

• Resolving the Weinberg paradox with topology
• On the semi-classical vacuum structure of the electroweak interaction
• The topology of the electroweak interaction
• Standard model as the topological material
• Quantum mechanics in magnetic backgrounds with manifest symmetry and locality

This page was built for publication: Topology of electroweak vacua

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1632089)