Study of spontaneously broken conformal symmetry in curved space-times

Abstract

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.