Hadron properties and interactions are emergent from QCD. Atomic and condensed matter physics are emergent from QED. Could the local gauge symmetries of particle physics also be emergent? We give an introduction to this question and recent ideas connecting it to the (meta)stability of the Standard Model Higgs vacuum. With an emergent Standard Model the gauge symmetries would "dissolve" in the ultraviolet. This scenario differs from unification models which exhibit maximum symmetry in the extreme ultraviolet. With emergence, new global symmetry violations would appear in higher dimensional operators.
We show how, using multipartite entanglement, the symmetries among bosons and fermions of the Standard Model of particle physics emerge. Fermions belong to tripartite maximally entangled classes starting with basic chiral right and left states. Quarks and leptons belong to different classes, with only leptons appearing as asymptotic states in three space dimensions. The Higgs boson is the scalar mode with a nonvanishing vacuum expectation value, other bosons are as usual linked to symmetry generators.
Gauge symmetries play an essential role in determining the interactions of particle physics. Where do they come from? Might the gauge symmetries of the Standard Model unify in the ultraviolet or might they be emergent in the infrared, below some large scale close to the Planck scale? Emergent gauge symmetries are important in quantum many-body systems in quantum phases associated with long range entanglement and topological order, e.g., they arise in high temperature superconductors, with string-net condensation and in the A-phase of superfluid He-3. String-nets and superfluid He-3 exhibit eme…
Hidden theories coupled to the SM may provide emergent (dark) vectors, that are composites/bound-states of the hidden fields. This is motivated by paradigms emerging from the AdS/CFT correspondence but it is a more general phenomenon. We explore the general setup and find that UV interactions among currents or charged fields give rise to emergent vectors in the IR. We study the general properties of such vectors and argue that they can be generically different from fundamental dark photons that have been studied so far.
We discuss the Higgs mass and cosmological constant in the context of an emergent Standard Model, where the gauge symmetries "dissolve" in the extreme ultraviolet. In this scenario the cosmological constant scale is suppressed by power of the large scale of emergence and expected to be of similar size to neutrino masses. Cosmology constraints then give an anthropic upper bound on the Higgs mass.
Entanglement suppression in the strong interaction $S$-matrix is shown to be correlated with approximate spin-flavor symmetries that are observed in low-energy baryon interactions, the Wigner $SU(4)$ symmetry for two flavors and an $SU(16)$ symmetry for three flavors. We conjecture that dynamical entanglement suppression is a property of the strong interactions in the infrared, giving rise to these emergent symmetries and providing powerful constraints on the nature of nuclear and hypernuclear forces in dense matter.
We examine discrete gauge symmetries in axionic extensions of the SSM which provide a solution of the $μ$-problem. Automatic-PQ symmetry and proton stability are shown to be guaranteed by certain discrete symmetries. Focusing on the L-violating discrete symmetries we discuss two sources of neutrino masses and their relevance for the solar neutrino problem.
We consider various symmetries present in the collinear effective theory and their implications. There are collinear, soft and ultrasoft gauge symmetries and we discuss transformation properties of a collinear quark and gauge fields under these gauge transformations. If we require the gauge invariance order by order, the gauge fields have definite transformation properties. We also probe reparameterization invariance and residual energy invariance in the collinear effective theory and discuss their physical consequences.
We extend to larger unification groups an earlier study exploring the possibility of unification of gauge symmetries in theories with dynamical symmetry breaking. Based on our results, we comment on the outlook for models that seek to achieve this type of unification.
We consider and derive the gravitational soft theorem up to the sub-subleading power from the perspective of effective Lagrangians. The emergent soft gauge symmetries of the effective Lagrangian provide a transparent explanation of why soft graviton emission is universal to sub-subleading power, but gauge boson emission is not. They also suggest a physical interpretation of the form of the soft factors in terms of the charges related to the soft transformations and the kinematics of the multipole expansion. The derivation is done directly at Lagrangian level, resulting in an operatorial form o…
We study the spontaneous breaking of discrete symmetries in theories with broken gauge symmetry. The intended application is to CP breaking in theories with gauged flavor symmetries, but the analysis described here is preliminary. We dispense with matter fields and take the gauge theory to be weakly coupled and broken spontaneously by unspecified, short-distance forces. We develop an effective-field-theory description of the resultant low energy theory, and ask whether this theory by itself can describe the subsequent breaking of discrete symmetries. We conclude that this can happen depending …
The axion solution to the strong CP problem makes use of a global Peccei-Quinn U(1) symmetry which is susceptible to violations from quantum gravitational effects. We show how discrete gauge symmetries can protect the axion from such violations. PQ symmetry emerges as an approximate global symmetry from discrete gauge symmetries. Simple models based on Z_N symmetries with N =11,12, etc are presented realizing the DFSZ axion and the KSVZ axion. The discrete gauge anomalies are cancelled by a discrete version of the Green-Schwarz mechanism. In the supersymmetric extension our models provide a na…
Axions, periodic scalar fields coupled to gauge fields through the instanton density, have a rich variety of higher-form global symmetries. These include a two-form global symmetry, which measures the charge of axion strings. As we review, these symmetries typically combine into a higher-group, a kind of non-abelian structure where symmetries that act on operators of different dimensions, such as points, lines, and strings, are mixed. We use this structure to derive model independent constraints on renormalization group flows that realize theories of axions at long distances. These give univer…
We motivate the concept of emergent gauge symmetry and discuss ways that this concept can be tested. The key idea is that if a symmetry is emergent, one should look for small violations of this symmetry because the underlying fundamental theory does not contain the symmetry. We describe our recent work implementing this idea in the gravity sector. We also describe the reasons why violations of gauge symmetry may well be linked to violations of Lorentz invariance.
It might be expected that only global symmetries are fundamental symmetries of Nature, whereas local symmetries and associated massless gauge fields could solely emerge due to spontaneous breaking of underlying spacetime symmetries involved, such as relativistic invariance and supersymmetry. This breaking, taken in the form of the nonlinear sigma-model type pattern for vector fields or superfields, puts essential restrictions on geometrical degrees of freedom of a physical field system that makes it to adjust itself in such a way that its global internal symmetry G turns into the local symmetr…
Topology effects have being extensively studied and confirmed in strongly correlated condensed matter physics. In the large color number limit of QCD, baryons can be regarded as topological objects -- skyrmions -- and the baryonic matter can be regarded as a skyrmion matter. We review in this paper the generalized effective field theory for dense compact-star matter constructed with the robust inputs obtained from the skyrmion approach to dense nuclear matter, relying to possible ``emergent" scale and local flavor symmetries at high density. All nuclear matter properties from the saturation de…
We investigated the viability of neutralino dark matter in the gauge mediation from emergent supersymmetry proposal. In this proposal, supersymmetry is broken at Planck scale and consequently, the gravitino is superheavy and completely decouples from the low energy theory. Squarks and sleptons obtain their soft masses dominantly through gauge mediation with other mechanisms highly suppressed. The lightest supersymmetric partner, in contrast to traditional gauge mediation, is a neutralino which is also a dark matter candidate. By explicit calculation of the low energy spectra, the parameter spa…
We argue that extra dimensions with a properly chosen compactification scheme could be a natural source for emergent gauge symmetries. Actually, some proposed vector field potential terms or polynomial vector field constraints introduced in five-dimensional Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theory is shown to smoothly lead to spontaneous violation of an underlying 5D spacetime symmetry and generate pseudo-Goldstone vector modes as conventional 4D gauge boson candidates. As a special signature, there appear, apart from conventional gauge couplings, some properly suppressed direct multi-photon (mult…
We reconsider monolayer graphene in the presence of elastic deformations. It is described by the tight - binding model with varying hopping parameters. We demonstrate, that the fermionic quasiparticles propagate in the emergent 2D Weitzenbock geometry and in the presence of the emergent U(1) gauge field. Both emergent geometry and the gauge field are defined by the elastic deformation of graphene.
Quintessential inflation provides a unified description of inflation and dark energy in terms of a single scalar degree of freedom, the cosmon. We present here a comprehensive overview of this appealing paradigm, highlighting its key ingredients and keeping a reasonable and homogeneous level of details. After summarizing the cosmological evolution in a simple canonical case, we discuss how quintessential inflation can be embedded in a more general scalar-tensor formulation and its relation to variable gravity scenarios. Particular emphasis is placed on the role played by symmetries. In particu…
Kaluza-Klein gravity is revisted, with renewed interest, in a type IIB string theory on $S^1\times K3$. The irreducible curvature tensors are worked out in the, T-dual, emergent gravity in 4D to yield a non-linear U(1) gauge theory. Interestingly, the T-duality may be seen to describe an open/closed string duality at a self-dual string coupling. The obtained deformation in $AdS_5$ black hole is analyzed to introduce the notion of temperature in the emergent gravity underlying the recent idea of entropic force.
First of all, we reconsider the tight - binding model of monolayer graphene, in which the variations of the hopping parameters are allowed. We demonstrate that the emergent 2D Weitzenbock geometry as well as the emergent U(1) gauge field appear. The emergent gauge field is equal to the linear combination of the components of the zweibein. Therefore, we actually deal with the gauge fixed version of the emergent 2+1 D teleparallel gravity. In particular, we work out the case, when the variations of the hopping parameters are due to the elastic deformations, and relate the elastic deformations wi…
We study a gauge theory in a 5D warped space via the dimensional deconstruction that a higher dimensional gauge theory is constructed from a moose of 4D gauge groups. By the AdS/CFT correspondence, a 5D warped gauge theory is dual to a 4D conformal field theory (CFT) with a global symmetry. As far as physics of the gauge theory, we obtain the one-to-one correspondence between each component of a moose of gauge groups and that of a CFT. We formulate a supersymmetric extension of deconstruction and explore the framework of natural supersymmetry in a 5D warped space -- the supersymmetric Randall-…
We explore the possibility of gauge mediation in a paradigm whereby supersymmetry is posited to be an accidental symmetry of Nature and the Standard Model fields are composite bound states that emerge from a conformal field theory. The resultant effective theory can, through sequestering and conformal dynamics, exhibit most of the properties of low energy supersymmetry breaking while averting a number of cosmological and astrophysical constraints of the traditional framework of gauge mediation via dynamical supersymmetry breaking. Of particular phenomenological interest is that in our scenario…
Relying on Dirac neutrinos allows an infinity of anomaly-free discrete gauge symmetries to be imposed on the Supersymmetric Standard Model, some of which are GUT-compatible.
After elimination of the redundant variables, gauge theories may still exhibit symmetries associated with the gauge fields. The role of these residual gauge symmetries is discussed within the Abelian Higgs model and the Georgi-Glashow model. In the different phases of these models, these symmetries are realized differently. The characteristics of emergence and disappearance of the symmetries are studied in detail and the implications for the dynamics in Coulomb, Higgs, and confining phases are discussed.
We argue that a generic trigger for photon and other gauge fields to emerge as massless Nambu-Goldstone modes could be spontaneously broken supersymmetry rather than physically manifested Lorentz violation. We consider supersymmetric QED model extended by an arbitrary polynomial potential of vector superfield that induces the spontaneous SUSY violation in the visible sector. As a consequence, massless photon appears as a companion of massless photino being Goldstone fermion state in tree approximation. Remarkably, the photon masslessness appearing at tree level is further protected against rad…
This is the first of two papers to study a new emergent symmetry which connects orbitally excited heavy baryons to the ground states in the combined heavy quark and large $N_c$ limit. The existence of this symmetry is shown in a model-independent way, and different possible realizations of the symmetry are discussed. It is also proved that this emergent symmetry commutes with the large $N_c$ spin-flavor symmetry.
We present the basic features of emergent SUSY gauge theories where an emergence of gauge bosons as massless vector Nambu-Goldstone modes is triggered by the spontaneously broken supersymmetry rather than the physically manifested Lorentz violation. We start considering the supersymmetric QED model extended by an arbitrary polynomial potential of massive vector superfield that induces the spontaneous SUSY violation in the visible sector. As a consequence, a massless photon appears as a companion of a massless photino emerging as a goldstino in the tree approximation, and remains massless due t…
We study heterotic asymmetric orbifold models. By utilizing the lattice engineering technique, we classify (22,6)-dimensional Narain lattices with right-moving non-Abelian group factors which can be starting points for Z3 asymmetric orbifold construction. We also calculate gauge symmetry breaking patterns.
Obtaining a potential flat enough to provide slow roll inflation is often difficult when gravitational effects are included. Non-abelian discrete gauge symmetries can guarantee the flatness of the inflaton potential in this case, and also provide special field values where inflation can end.
We address emergent higher-form symmetry in Higgs phases with superfluidity. The emergent symmetry appears if a matter field is invariant under a transformation of a common subgroup of gauge and global $\mathrm{U}(1)$ symmetries. We explicitly construct the symmetry generator that is topological and gauge invariant in a low-energy effective theory. Such emergent symmetry is helpful to distinguish the Higgs and other phases with superfluidity, such as phases of QCD at finite density. We also discuss the possibility of phase transition between these phases.
I discuss gauge and global symmetries in particle physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum gravity. In a modern understanding, global symmetries are approximate and gauge symmetries may be emergent. (Based on a lecture at the April, 2016 meeting of the American Physical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah.)
Many models of beyond Standard Model physics connect flavor symmetry with a discrete group. Having this symmetry arise spontaneously from a gauge theory maintains compatibility with quantum gravity and can be used to systematically prevent anomalies. We minimize a number of Higgs potentials that break gauge groups to discrete symmetries of interest, and examine their scalar mass spectra.
In the same base setup as Sakharov's induced gravity, we investigate emergence of gravity in effective quantum field theories (QFT), with particular emphasis on the gauge sector in which gauge bosons acquire anomalous masses in proportion to the ultraviolet cutoff $Λ_\wp$. Drawing on the fact that $Λ_\wp^2$ corrections explicitly break the gauge and Poincare symmetries, we find that it is possible to map $Λ_\wp^2$ to spacetime curvature as a covariance relation and we find also that this map erases the anomalous gauge boson masses. The resulting framework describes gravity by the general relat…
