Study of spontaneously broken conformal symmetry in curved space-times

Technical Report · Sun May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7284861· OSTI ID:7284861

Janson, M M

Spontaneous breakdown of Weyl invariance (local scale invariance) in a conformally-invariant extension of a gauge model for weak and electromagnetic interactions is considered. The existence of an asymmetric vacuum for the Higgs field, phi, is seen to depend on the space-time structure via the Gursey-Penrose term, approximately phi/sup +/phi R, in the action. (R denotes the scalar curvature.) The effects of a prescribed space-time structure on spontaneously broken Weyl invariance is investigated. In a cosmological space-time, it is found that initially, in the primordial fireball, the symmetry must hold exactly. Spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) develops as the universe expands and cools. Consequences of this model include a dependence of G/sub F/, the effective weak interaction coupling strength, on ''cosmic time.'' It is seen to decrease monotonically; in the present epoch (G/sub F//G/sub F/)/sub TODAY/ approximately less than 10/sup -10/ (year)/sup -1/. The effects of the Schwarzschild geometry on SSB are explored. In the interior of a neutron star the Higgs vacuum expectation value, and consequently G/sub F/, is found to have a radial dependence. The magnitude of this variation does not warrant revision of present models of neutron star structures. Another perspective on the problem considered a theory of gravitation (conformal relativity) to be incorporated in the conformally invariant gauge model of weak and electromagnetic interactions. If SSB develops, the vacuum gravitational field equations are the Einstein field equations with a cosmological constant. The stability of the asymmetric vacuum solution is investigated to ascertain whether SSB can occur.

• Research Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, Md. (USA). Dept. of Physics
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-S-02-3285
• OSTI ID: 7284861
• Report Number(s): COO-3285-33; JHU-HET-776; TRN: 77-019894
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CONFORMAL INVARIANCE
SYMMETRY BREAKING
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
GRAVITATION
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
HIGGS MODEL
SPACE-TIME
NEUTRON STARS
SCHWARZSCHILD METRIC
WEAK INTERACTIONS
COUPLING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
EXPECTATION VALUE
FIREBALL MODEL
SCALE INVARIANCE
SYMMETRY
UNIVERSE
WEYL UNIFIED THEORY
BASIC INTERACTIONS
EQUATIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
INTERACTIONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METRICS
PARTICLE MODELS
STARS
645302* - High Energy Physics- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries- Applications to Electromagnetic & Weak Interactions- (-1987)
657003 - Theoretical & Mathematical Physics- Relativity & Gravitation
640102 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
640106 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Cosmology
645400 - High Energy Physics- Field Theory