Tricritical point in quantum phase transitions of the Coleman–Weinberg model at Higgs mass

Abstract

The tricritical point, which separates first and second order phase transitions in three-dimensional superconductors, is studied in the four-dimensional Coleman–Weinberg model, and the similarities as well as the differences with respect to the three-dimensional result are exhibited. The position of the tricritical point in the Coleman–Weinberg model is derived and found to be in agreement with the Thomas–Fermi approximation in the three-dimensional Ginzburg–Landau theory. From this we deduce a special role of the tricritical point for the Standard Model Higgs sector in the scope of the latest experimental results, which suggests the unexpected relevance of tricritical behavior in the electroweak interactions. • The predictions for the tricritical point in the Ginzburg–Landau theory and the Coleman–Weinberg model are compared. • We prove the tricritical point in the Coleman–Weinberg is in agreement with the Thomas–Fermi approximation. • The recent discovery of the Higgs boson suggests the presence of tricritical behavior in the electroweak interactions.