Almost-Goldstone bosons from extra-dimensional gauge theories

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1996 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.1015· OSTI ID:283928

Turok, N ^[1]

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1. Joseph Henry Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)

A mechanism is presented through which very light scalar degrees of freedom obeying the nonlinear sigma model equation can emerge in spontaneously broken gauge theories. The mechanism operates in extra dimensional theories in which (a) there are massless gauge fields present in the theory prior to compactification, and (b) the extra dimensions are inhomogeneous in such a way that symmetry-breaking Higgs fields acquire vacuum expectation values only at very localized points on the manifold. These conditions are naturally fulfilled in orbifold compactifications of string theory. Possible applications include cosmic texture, axions, and family symmetry. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}

• OSTI ID: 283928
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 76, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1996
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
SCALARS
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
SIGMA MODEL
SYMMETRY BREAKING
MASSLESS PARTICLES
INTERMEDIATE BOSONS
COMPACTIFICATION
STRING MODELS
TEXTURE
AXIONS