Restoration of spontaneously broken continuous symmetries in de Sitter spacetime

Journal Article · Mon Apr 15 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.31.1931· OSTI ID:5818017

Ratra, B

We formulate a functional approach to scalar quantum field theory in (n+1)-dimensional de Sitter spacetime and solve the functional Schroedinger equation for the conformally and minimally coupled scalar fields in both the k = 0 and k = 1 gauges. We show that there is a natural initial condition, the requirement that the field energy remain finite as the scale factor a becomes small, which specifies a unique, time-dependent, de Sitter vacuum state. This initial condition is closely related to Hawking's prescription of including in the functional integral only those field configurations which are regular on the Euclidean section. The Green's functions constructed using this initial condition are explicitly shown to be the analytic continuation of those derived using the Euclidean path-integral formalism and the regularity (boundary) condition. These Green's functions are used to study the Hawking effect and the restoration of continuous symmetries. In particular we study the restoration of a broken O(2) symmetry of a Phi/sup 4/ theory. We argue that spontaneously broken continuous symmetries are always dynamically restored in de Sitter spacetime.

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 5818017
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 31:8; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
DE SITTER GROUP
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
EUCLIDEAN SPACE
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GREEN FUNCTION
LIE GROUPS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RIEMANN SPACE
SCALAR FIELDS
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
SPACE
SPACE-TIME
SYMMETRY BREAKING
SYMMETRY GROUPS
VACUUM STATES
WAVE EQUATIONS