Inspired by Yoneya's recent work on D-brane field theory, we present the constructive definition of this theory as a new dual model based on the quantization of non-perturbative string gauged S-dualities and its spontaneous breakdown. Our model is determined by one BRST quantization condition. Here, we provide some testable conjectures, for example, that the partition function of bosonic part of IIB matrix model and string partition functions of various interactions including gravity are realized by the physical state and its Goldstone modes.
We present a schematic model of the \hat{sl(2,R})} Kugo-Ojima physical state condition of gauged S-duality using modular forms of the Ramanujan Δfunction type. The properties of the solutions with spontaneously broken gauged S-duality with their dimensionality of space-time and the gauge symmetries of low energy theory are studied.
Supergravities with gauged R-symmetry and Minkowski vacua allow for spontaneous supersymmetry breaking and, as such, provide a framework for building supergravity models of phenomenological relevance. In this letter we initiate the study of double-copy constructions for these supergravities. We argue that, on general grounds, we expect their scattering amplitudes to be described by a double copy of the type: (Higgsed gauge theory) x (gauge theory with broken SUSY). We present a simple realization in which the resulting supergravity has U(1)_R gauge symmetry, spontaneously-broken N=2 supersymme…
We revisit Bjorken's model of spontaneous breakdown of Lorentz invariance. We show that the model possesses zero mass, spin zero (scalar) Nambu-Goldstone boson, in addition to the zero mass, spin one (vector) photon.
We propose random matrix models which have $N=\half$ supersymmetry in zero dimension. The supersymmetry breaks down spontaneously. It is shown that the double scaling limit can be defined in these models and the breakdown of the supersymmetry remains in the continuum limit. The exact non-trivial partition functions of the string theories corresponding to these matrix models are also obtained.
We re-examine three-dimensional gauge theory with a Chern-Simons term in which the Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken by dynamical generation of a magnetic field. A non-vanishing magnetic field leads, through the Nambu-Goldstone theorem, to the decrease of zero-point energies of photons, which accounts for a major part of the mechanism. The asymmetric spectral flow plays an important role. The instability in pure Chern-Simons theory is also noted.
We propose a novel realization of spontaneous supersymmetry breaking in de Sitter vacuum by F- and D-terms in $N=1$ four-dimensional supergravity coupled to a chiral superfield with $SU(1,1)/U(1)$ target space. Our construction features gauged $U(1)_R$ symmetry rotating the chiral scalar field by a phase. Both SUSY and R-symmetry can be spontaneously broken, and for two particular parameter choices we obtain no-scale supergravity with positive tunable cosmological constant.
In a class of three-dimensional abelian gauge theory the Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken by dynamical generation of a magnetic field. An originally topologically massive photon becomes gapless, i.e. p_0=0 at {\vec p}=0. Indeed, the photon is the Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with the spontaneous breaking of the Lorentz invariance. Although symmetry generated by two Lorentz boost generators is broken, there seems to appear only one physical Nambu-Goldstone boson, namely a photon. We argue that the Ward identities in the Nambu-Goldstone theorem are saturated by the photon pole.
In a class of renormalizable three-dimensional abelian gauge theory the Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken by dynamical generation of a magnetic field $B$. The true ground state resembles that of the quantum Hall effect. An originally topologically massive photon becomes gapless, fulfilling the role of the Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with the spontaneous breaking of the Lorentz invariance. We give a simple explanation and a sufficient condition for the spontaneous breaking of the Lorentz invariance with the aid of the Nambu-Goldstone theorem. The decrease of the energy density by …
We argue that the BRST and the anti-BRST super symmetries in the four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory can be spontaneously broken in a nonlinear partial gauge due to ghost-anti-ghost condensation. However, we show that the spontaneous BRST symmetry breaking can be avoided if we adopt the modified Maximal Abelian gauge which is an orthosymplectic $OSp(4|2)$ invariant renormalizable gauge proposed by the author to derive quark confinement. We compare the Maximal Abelian gauge with the conventional $OSp(4|2)$ invariant gauge proposed by Delbourgo-Jarvis and Baulieu-Thierry-Mieg. Finally, an implica…
The superfield models with the partial spontaneous breaking of the global D=3, N=2 supersymmetry are discussed. The abelian gauge model describes low-energy interactions of the real scalar field with the 3D vector and fermion fields. We introduce the new Goldstone-Maxwell representation of the 3D gauge superfield and show that the partial spontaneous breaking N=2 to N=1 is possible for the non-minimal self-interaction of this modified gauge superfield including the linear Fayet-Iliopoulos term. The dual description of the partial breaking in the model of the self- interacting Goldstone chiral …
Scalar QED is studied with higher order derivatives for the scalar field kinetic energy. A local potential is generated for the gauge field due to the covariant derivatives and the vacuum with non-vanishing expectation value for the scalar field and the vector potential is constructed in the leading order saddle point expansion. This vacuum breaks the global gauge and Lorentz symmetry spontaneously. The unitarity of time evolution is assured in the physical, positive norm subspace and the linearized equations of motion are calculated. Goldstone theorem always keeps the radiation field massless…
Recently the gaussian expansion method has been applied to investigate the dynamical generation of 4d space-time in the IIB matrix model, which is a conjectured nonperturbative definition of type IIB superstring theory in 10 dimensions. Evidence for such a phenomenon, which is associated with the spontaneous breaking of the SO(10) symmetry down to SO(4), has been obtained up to the 7-th order calculations. Here we apply the same method to a simplified model, which is expected to exhibit an analogous spontaneous symmetry breaking via the same mechanism as conjectured for the IIB matrix model. T…
We consider the interplay of duality symmetries and gauged isometries of supergravity models giving N-extended, spontaneously broken supergravity with a no-scale structure. Some examples, motivated by superstring and M-theory compactifications are described.
The linear $σ$-model with a chemical potential for hypercharge is a toy model for the description of the dynamics of the kaon condensate in high density QCD. We analyze the dynamics of the gauged version of this model. It is shown that spontaneous breakdown of $SU(2) \times U(1)_{Y}$ symmetry, caused by the chemical potential, is always accompanied by spontaneous breakdown of both rotational symmetry and electromagnetic $U(1)_{em}$. The spectrum of excitations in this model is rich and, because of rotational symmetry breakdown, anisotropic. It is shown that there exist excitation branches that…
We study and analyse the questions regarding breakdown of global symmetry on noncommutative sphere. We demonstrate this by considering a complex scalar field on a fuzzy sphere and isolating Goldstone modes. We discuss the role of nonlocal interactions present in these through geometrical considerations.
First, the properties of a classical model of spontaneous symmetry breakdown are analyzed. Then, the pros and cons of some pedagogical non-relativistic quantum-mechanical models, also used to illustrate spontaneous symmetry breakdown, are discussed. Finally, a simple quantum-mechanical toy model (a spinor on the line, with a spin-dependent interaction) is presented, that exhibits the spontaneous breaking of an internal symmetry.
In many PT symmetric models with real spectra, apparently, energy levels "merge and disappear" at a point of the spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking. We argue that such an oversimplified and discontinuous physical interpretation of this mechanism as proposed, e.g., by one of us in Phys. Lett. A 285 (2001), p. 7 would be inappropriate. Using the elementary square-well model of the above reference in the strongly non-Hermitian regime we exemplify how the doublets of states with broken PT symmetry continue to exist at complex conjugate energies. In contrast to many other exactly solvable examples of…
We elucidate the relation between the restricted Weyl symmetry and spontaneous symmetry breakdown of conformal symmetry. Using a scalar-tensor gravity, we show that the restricted Weyl symmetry leads to spontaneous symmetry breakdown of a global scale symmetry when the vacuum expectation value of a scalar field takes a non-zero value. It is then shown that this spontaneous symmetry breakdown induces spontaneous symmetry breakdown of special conformal symmetry in a flat Minkowski space-time, but the resultant Nambu-Goldstone boson is not an independent physical mode but expressed in terms of th…
We study the minimal gauged U(1)_{B-L} supersymmetric model and show that it provides an attractive theory for spontaneous R-parity violation. Both U(1)_{B-L} and R-parity are broken by the vacuum expectation value of the right-handed sneutrino (proportional to the soft SUSY masses), thereby linking the B-L and soft SUSY scales. In this context we find a consistent mechanism for generating neutrino masses and a realistic mass spectrum, all without extending the Higgs sector of the minimal supersymmetry standard model. We discuss the most relevant collider signals and the connection between the…
We construct a model of M-theory vacua using gauged S-duality and the Chan-Paton symmetries by introducing an infinite number of open string charges. In the Bechi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin formalism, the local description of the gauged S-duality on its moduli space of vacua is fully determined by one physical state condition on the vacua. We introduce the string probe of the spatial degrees of freedom and define the increment of the cosmic time. The dimensionality of space-time and the gauge group of the low energy effective theory originate in the symmetries (with or without their breakdown) in our …
The advantages and disadvantages of some pedagogical non-relativistic quantum-mechanical models, used to illustrate spontaneous symmetry breakdown, are discussed. A simple quantum-mechanical toy model (a spinor on the line, subject to a magnetostatic interaction) is presented, that exhibits the spontaneous breakdown of an internal symmetry.
The role of the environment initial conditions in the breaking of the time reversal symmetry of effective theories and in generating the soft irreversibility is studied by the help of Closed Time Path formalism. The initial conditions break the time reversal symmetry of the solution of the equation of motion in a trivial manner. When open systems are considered then the initial conditions of the environment must be included in the effective dynamics. This is achieved by means of a generalized $ε$-prescription where the non-uniform convergence of the limit $ε\to0$ leaves behind a spontaneous br…
We propose a new mechanism of spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. The existence of extra dimensions with nontrivial topology plays an important role. We investigate new features resulted from the mechanism in two simple supersymmetric Z_2 and U(1) models. One of remarkable features is that there exists a phase in which the translational invariance for the compactified directions is broken spontaneously, accompanying the breakdown of the supersymmetry. The mass spectrum of the models appeared in reduced dimensions is a full of variety, reflecting the highly nontrivial vacuum structure of the mo…
We link the spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry in Euclidean QCD to the collision of spectral shock waves in the vicinity of zero eigenvalue of Dirac operator. The mechanism, originating from complex Burger's-like equation for viscid, pressureless, one-dimensional flow of eigenvalues, is similar to recently observed weak-strong coupling phase transition in large $N_c$ Yang-Mills theory. The spectral viscosity is proportional to the inverse of the size of the random matrix that replaces the Dirac operator in the universal (ergodic) regime. We obtain the exact scaling function and critical …
We argue that the spontaneous breakdown of symmetry in the chirally symmetric Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model which was supposed to illustrate the origin of the low mass of pions in hadron physics does not occur due to strong fluctuations in the sigma - pi field space. Although quarks acquire a constituent mass, sigma and pi turn out to have equal heavy masses of the order of the constituent quark mass.
We study the IIB matrix model, which is conjectured to be a nonperturbative definition of superstring theory, by introducing an integer deformation parameter `nu' which couples to the imaginary part of the effective action induced by fermions. The deformed IIB matrix model continues to be well-defined for arbitrary `nu', and it preserves gauge invariance, Lorentz invariance, and the cluster property. We study the model at `nu' = infinity using a saddle-point analysis, and show that ten-dimensional Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken at least down to an eight-dimensional one. We argue th…
We report on some recent investigations of the structure of the four dimensional gauged supergravity Lagrangian which emerges from flux and Scherk-Schwarz compactifications in higher dimensions. Special attention is given to the gauge structure of M-theory compactified on a seven torus with 4-form and geometrical (spin connection) fluxes turned on. A class of vacua, with flat space-time and described by ``no-scale'' supergravity models, is analyzed.
In whatever Lorentz invariant theory, the presence of extended d-dimensional objects inside a higher dimensional bulk space-time, like for instance D-branes in string theories, induces a spontaneous breakdown of the Poincare' invariance of the bulk; however the effective action describing these extended objects should still respect this larger invariance through a non-linear realization of the full symmetry. Here the specific form of such a realization in presence of an electromagnetic field is uncovered. The Dirac-Born-Infeld type action for a D-brane turns out to be invariant under such tran…
Assuming dynamical spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry for massless gauge theory without scalar fields, we present a method how to construct an effective action of the dynamical Nambu-Goldstone bosons and elemetary fermions by using auxiliary fields. Here dynamical particles are asssumed to be composed of elementary fermions. Various quantities including decay constants are calculated from this effective action. This technique is also applied to gauge symmetry breakdown, $SU(5)\to SU(4)$, to obtain massive gauge fields.
In string or M theories, the spontaneous breaking of 10D or 11D Lorentz symmetry is required to describe our space-time. A direct approach to this issue is provided by the IIB matrix model. We study its 4D version, which corresponds to the zero volume limit of 4D super SU(N) Yang-Mills theory. Based on the moment of inertia as a criterion, spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) seems to occur, so that only one extended direction remains, as first observed by Bialas, Burda et al. However, using Wilson loops as probes of space-time we do not observe any sign of SSB in Monte Carlo simulations where …
We study the Higgs mode in a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductor. Motivated by the observation that U(1) symmetry of the BCS Hamiltonian is not essential for the Higgs mode, we study the Ising-like Hamiltonian in the pseudospin representation. We show that the Higgs mode emerges as the lowest excited state of the Ising-like Hamiltonian due to spontaneous breakdown of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry under the time-reversal operation $\mathcal T$ in the pseudospin space. We further predict the existence of multiple Higgs modes that have quantized energy $2(n+1)Δ_0$ ($0\le n\le N_{k_F}$), wher…
The appearances of complex eigenvalues in the spectra of PT-symmetric quantum-mechanical systems are usually associated with a spontaneous breaking of PT. In this letter we discuss a family of models for which this phenomenon is also linked with an explicit breaking of supersymmetry. Exact level-crossings are located, and connections with N-fold supersymmetry and quasi-exact solvability in certain special cases are pointed out.
This is the second of three papers on Conformal General Relativity (CGR). The conformal group is introduced here as the invariance group of the partial order of causal events in $n$D spacetime. Its general structure, discrete symmetries and field representations are described in detail. The spontaneous breakdown of conformal symmetry is then discussed and the role played by a ghost scalar field and a physical scalar field in 4D spacetime are evidenced. Kinematic--, conformal-- and proper--time hyperbolic coordinates are introduced in a negatively curved Milne spacetime for the purpose of provi…
We discuss spontaneous symmetry breakdown (SSB) of both global and local scale symmetries in scalar-tensor gravity with two scalar fields, one of which couples nonminimally to scalar curvature while the other is a normal scalar field. In case of a global scale symmetry, by moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame, a normal scalar field becomes massive while the dilaton remains massless after the SSB. In case of a local scale symmetry, we take a gauge fixing condition for the local scale invariance, $a R + b ϕ^2 = k$, which was found in our previous study of a Weyl's quadratic gravity…
We examine the role of the center Z(N) of the gauge group SU(N) in gauge theories. In this pedagogical article, we discuss, among other topics, the center symmetry and confinement and deconfinement in gauge theories and associated finite-temperature phase transitions. We also look at universal properties of domain walls separating distinct confined and deconfined bulk phases, including a description of how QCD color-flux strings can end on color-neutral domain walls, and unusual finite-volume dependence in which quarks in deconfined bulk phase seem to be "confined".
Within the framework of the Gaussian wave-functional approach, we investigate the influences of quantum and finite-temperature effects on the Z_2-symmetry(ϕ\to -ϕ) of the (1+1)-dimensional massive sine-Gordon field theory. It is explicitly demonstrated that by quantum effects the Z_2-symmetry can be restored in one region of the parameter space and dynamically spontaneously broken in another region. Moreover, a finite-temperature effect can further restore the Z_2-symmetry only.
We study quadratic gravity $R^2+R_{[μν]}^2$ in the Palatini formalism where the connection and the metric are independent. This action has a {\it gauged} scale symmetry (also known as Weyl gauge symmetry) of Weyl gauge field $v_μ= (\tildeΓ_μ-Γ_μ)/2$, with $\tildeΓ_μ$ ($Γ_μ$) the trace of the Palatini (Levi-Civita) connection, respectively. The underlying geometry is non-metric due to the $R_{[μν]}^2$ term acting as a gauge kinetic term for $v_μ$. We show that this theory has an elegant spontaneous breaking of gauged scale symmetry and mass generation in the absence of matter, where the necessa…
We generalize the coset construction of Callan, Coleman, Wess and Zumino to theories in which the Lorentz group is spontaneously broken down to one of its subgroups. This allows us to write down the most general low-energy effective Lagrangian in which Lorentz invariance is non-linearly realized, and to explore the consequences of broken Lorentz symmetry without having to make any assumptions about the mechanism that triggers the breaking. We carry out the construction both in flat space, in which the Lorentz group is a global spacetime symmetry, and in a generally covariant theory, in which t…
The dynamics of a vortex string, which describes the Nambu-Goldtone modes of the spontaneous breakdown of the target space D=4, N=1 supersymmetry and internal $U(1)_R$ symmetry to the world sheet ISO(1,1) symmetry, is constructed by using the approach of nonlinear realization. The resulting action describing the low energy oscillations of the string into the covolume (super)space is found to have an invariant synthesis form of the Akulov-Volkov and Nambu-Goto actions. Its dual scalar field action is obtained by means of introducing two vectorial Lagrangian multipliers into the action of the st…
We give a quantum mechanical description of accelerated relativistic particles in the framework of Coherent States (CS) of the (3+1)-dimensional conformal group SU(2,2), with the role of accelerations played by special conformal transformations and with the role of (proper) time translations played by dilations. The accelerated ground state $\tildeϕ_0$ of first quantization is a CS of the conformal group. We compute the distribution function giving the occupation number of each energy level in $\tildeϕ_0$ and, with it, the partition function Z, mean energy E and entropy S, which resemble that …
A recent D-brane model designed to accommodate a phenomenologically acceptable fourth generation of chiral fermions was noted to produce an unexpected additional unbroken nonanomalous U(1) gauge group at the string scale. We show that the corresponding charges acting on MSSM fields count baryon and lepton numbers. If broken spontaneously at lower scales, these U(1)_B and U(1)_L symmetries provide potential avenues for preserving baryogenesis while nonetheless explaining the suppression of proton decay (without the need for R parity), as well as the smallness of right-handed neutrino Majorana m…
We study spontaneous gauge symmetry breaking in the framework of orbifold compactifcations of heterotic string theory. In particular we investigate the electroweak symmetry breakdown via the Higgs mechanism. Such a breakdown can be achieved by continuous Wilson lines. Exploiting the geometrical properties of this scheme we develop a new technique which simplifies the analysis used in previous discussions.
That the scalar field theories with no dimensional couplings possess local scale invariance (LSI) via the curvature gauging is utilized to show that the Goldstone boson, released by the spontaneous LSI breakdown, is swallowed by the spacetime curvature in order to generate Newton's constant in the same spirit as the induction of vector boson masses via spontaneous gauge symmetry breaking. For Einstein gravity to be reproduced correctly, the Goldstone boson of spontaneous LSI breaking must be endowed with ghost dynamics. The matter sector, taken to be the standard model spectrum, gains full LSI…
