Inelastic strong interactions at high energies
Abstract
Grand Unified Field Theories were studied, concentrating on the symmetry breaking by Higgs bosons with the inclusion of single-gauge-loop corrections at both zero and nonzero temperature. The possible metastable phases of an SU(N) gauge theory broken by a Higgs boson of the adjoint representation are SU(r)xSU(N-r)xU(1) only. The phase diagram of broken SU(N) and O(2N) theories was displayed as a function of two renormaliization-group-invariant parameters. All phase transitions were found to be first order and, at least in the Coleman-Weinberg regime, the phase diagram is completely different from that of the tree approximation. Upper bounds were obtained for the phase-transition temperature in terms of the Higgs boson mass both for an SU(N) field theory with a Higgs boson in the adjoint representation and for the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam theory of electro-weak interactions. Finally, upper bounds were found for the masses of Higgs bosons in both of the above-mentioned types of theories in terms of the supercooling ratio, provided the expansion rate of the universe is too large and the tunneling rate is too small to complete the phase transition before the symmtric phase becomes unstable.
- Publication:
-
Annual Progress Report
- Pub Date:
- January 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981cinu.rept.....S
- Keywords:
-
- Field Theory (Physics);
- High Energy Interactions;
- Quantum Theory;
- Theoretical Physics;
- Adjoints;
- Approximation;
- Baryons;
- Boson Fields;
- Bosons;
- Cosmology;
- Gauge Theory;
- Gravitation Theory;
- Phase Diagrams;
- Photons;
- Trees (Mathematics);
- Weak Energy Interactions;
- Nuclear and High-Energy Physics