Topic
Higgs phase
About: Higgs phase is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 366 publications have been published within this topic receiving 7947 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: In this article, the phase diagram of lattice gauge theories coupled to fixed-length scalar (Higgs) fields is studied and it is shown that when the Higgs fields transform like the fundamental representation of the gauge group, the confining phases are smoothly connected, i.e., they are not separated by a phase boundary.
Abstract: We study the phase diagram of lattice gauge theories coupled to fixed-length scalar (Higgs) fields. We consider several gauge groups: ${Z}_{2}$, U(1), and $\mathrm{SU}(N)$. We find that when the Higgs fields transform like the fundamental representation of the gauge group the Higgs and confining phases are smoothly connected, i.e., they are not separated by a phase boundary. When the Higgs fields transform like some representation other than the fundamental, a phase boundary may exist. This is the case for $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ with all the Higgs fields in the adjoint representation and for U(1) with all the Higgs fields in the charge-$N(Ng1)$ representation. We present an argument due to Wegner that indicates the stability of the pure gauge transition. Another phase, free charge or Coulomb, is generally present. In this regime, the spectrum of the theory contains massless gauge bosons (for continuous groups) and finite-energy states that represent free charges.
1,137 citations
TL;DR: The weak gravity conjecture is generalized to product gauge groups and its tension with the naturalness principle for a charged scalar coupled to gravity is studied.
Abstract: The weak gravity conjecture (WGC) is an ultraviolet consistency condition asserting that an Abelian force requires a state of charge q and mass m with q>m/m_(Pl). We generalize the WGC to product gauge groups and study its tension with the naturalness principle for a charged scalar coupled to gravity. Reconciling naturalness with the WGC either requires a Higgs phase or a low cutoff at Λ∼qm_(Pl). If neither applies, one can construct simple models that forbid a natural electroweak scale and whose observation would rule out the naturalness principle.
316 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new locally scale-invariant extension of general relativity is proposed based on Weyl's conformally invariant geometry, and it is shown that if the theory contains a Higgs phase, then it reduces to Einstein's theory in the limit of large distances.
293 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new class of local operators, called monopole operators, which are not polynomial in the fundamental fields and create topological disorder are defined. But they are not a higher-dimensional analogues of twist and winding state operators in free 2D CFTs.
Abstract: Many abelian gauge theories in three dimensions flow to interacting conformal field theories in the infrared. We define a new class of local operators in these conformal field theories which are not polynomial in the fundamental fields and create topological disorder. They can be regarded as higher-dimensional analogues of twist and winding-state operators in free 2d CFTs. We call them monopole operators for reasons explained in the text. The importance of monopole operators is that in the Higgs phase, they create Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortices. We study properties of these operators in three-dimensional QED using large N_f expansion. In particular, we show that monopole operators belong to representations of the conformal group whose primaries have dimension of order N_f. We also show that monopole operators transform non-trivially under the flavor symmetry group, with the precise representation depending on the value of the Chern-Simons coupling.
213 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe new solutions of Yang-Mills-Higgs theories consisting of magnetic monopoles in a phase with fully broken gauge symmetry, where instead of spreading out radially, the magnetic field lines form flux tubes.
Abstract: We describe new solutions of Yang-Mills-Higgs theories consisting of magnetic monopoles in a phase with fully broken gauge symmetry. Rather than spreading out radially, the magnetic field lines form flux tubes. The solution is topologically stable and, when embedded in $\mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD, preserves 1/4 of the supercharges. From the perspective of the flux tube the monopole appears as a kink. Many monopoles may be threaded onto a single flux tube and placed at arbitrary separation to create a stable, BPS necklace of solitons.
200 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2020 | 14 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2016 | 4 |