Symmetry breaking, conformal geometry and gauge invariance

Authors

Anton Ilderton, Umeå University
Martin Lavelle, School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
David McMullan, School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

ORCID

• Martin Lavelle: 0000-0003-0343-4747
• David McMullan: 0000-0002-8939-7635

Abstract

When the electroweak action is rewritten in terms of SU(2) gauge-invariant variables, the Higgs can be interpreted as a conformal metric factor. We show that asymptotic flatness of the metric is required to avoid a Gribov problem: without it, the new variables fail to be nonperturbatively gauge invariant. We also clarify the relations between this approach and unitary gauge fixing, and the existence of similar transformations in other gauge theories.

DOI

10.1088/1751-8113/43/31/312002

Publication Date

2010-08-06

Publication Title

Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical

Volume

43

Issue

31

ISSN

1751-8113

Recommended Citation

Ilderton, A., Lavelle, M., & McMullan, D. (2010) 'Symmetry breaking, conformal geometry and gauge invariance', Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 43(31). Available at: 10.1088/1751-8113/43/31/312002