Harmonic maps as models for physical theories
Harmonic maps are an aesthetically appealing class of nonlinear field equations of which only a few nontrivial examples have as yet appeared in physical theories. These fields appear well suited for describing broken symmetries either in conjunction with or instead of the Yang-Mills equations. The harmonic mapping equation is quite similar in many respects to the Einstein equations for gravitation, although simpler in structure, and can describe any gauge symmetry group G broken to a subgroup H in a sense parallel to the way the gravitational (metric) field breaks general covariance (local GL(4,R) invariance) down to local Lorentz invariance. This paper outlines the basis for a program of exploring harmonic mapping theories to see whether they may provide models of physical phenomena that are either not recognized, or that are not well fitted to more familiar field theories.
- Research Organization:
- Center of Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- OSTI ID:
- 6506224
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Rev., D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., D; (United States) Vol. 18:12; ISSN PRVDA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
657003 -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Relativity & Gravitation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
EQUATIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
HARMONICS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LORENTZ INVARIANCE
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
METRICS
MINKOWSKI SPACE
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
OSCILLATIONS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE
SYMMETRY BREAKING
YANG-MILLS THEORY