Why Does the Higgs Potential Resemble the Maxican-Hat Potential?

  • Thread starter Black Integra
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In summary, the Maxican-Hat potential is for tachyonic particles and the Higgs' potential takes the same form. This is due to the Higgs field reaching its false vacuum and becoming tachyonic. After electroweak symmetry breaking, three of the four degrees of freedom in the Higgs field mix with the W and Z bosons to become massive. The last degree of freedom becomes the scalar Higgs boson. The Higgs field is no longer tachyonic and acquires a vacuum expectation value. This explains why the Higgs boson can be in a tachyonic mode.
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Black Integra
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I know that Maxican-Hat potential is for tachyonic particle, says
[itex]V(\phi)=-\frac{\lambda}{2}|\phi|^2 + \frac{g}{4!}|\phi|^4[/itex]

But why does Higgs' potential take the same form of this?? Even though higgs boson is not a tachyon??

Tell me if my question is not clear. Thanks in advance for the answer.
 
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  • #2
When the Higgs field reaches its false vacuum at a certain temperature, it becomes tachyonic (e.g. negative mass squared). When this happens, tachyonic condensation allows the Higgs field to spontaneously break three out of the four generators of the SU(2)×U(1) gauge group. This is electroweak symmetry breaking.

After this symmetry breaking, three of the four degrees of freedom in the Higgs field (H+, H-, H0) 'mix' with the three W and Z bosons (W+, W− and Z), and become the their longitudal modes, so that they have the necessary degrees of freedom to become massive (3. Note that the photon has only two polarizations because it is massless). The last degree of freedom, h, becomes the scalar Higgs boson. The Higgs field is no longer tachyonic, and acquires a vacuum expectation value.
 
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  • #3
So higgs boson can be in a tachyonic mode. Really thanks for the answer! :)
 
  • #4
Black Integra said:
So higgs boson can be in a tachyonic mode. Really thanks for the answer! :)

Well, the Higgs field, back when it had all four degrees of freedom. Also, remember that tachyons don't move FTL, they just represent a highly unstable vacuum (which causes tachyonic condensation).
 

What is the Mexican-Hat potential?

The Mexican-Hat potential is a mathematical function that is commonly used in physics and engineering to model certain types of systems. It is a type of potential energy function that has a characteristic "hat" shape, with a peak in the center and a surrounding "valley".

How is the Mexican-Hat potential used?

The Mexican-Hat potential is used to describe the behavior of physical systems that exhibit symmetry breaking. This type of potential is often used in the study of phase transitions, where a system shifts from one state to another.

What is the significance of the "hat" shape in the Mexican-Hat potential?

The "hat" shape of this potential energy function represents the balance between two competing forces: an attractive force that pulls the system towards the center (the peak of the hat) and a repulsive force that pushes the system away from the center (the valley surrounding the peak).

What are some real-world applications of the Mexican-Hat potential?

The Mexican-Hat potential is commonly used in physics and engineering to model a wide range of systems, from the behavior of particles in a magnetic field to the formation of patterns in nature, such as the formation of sand dunes or the distribution of galaxies in the universe.

What other names is the Mexican-Hat potential known by?

The Mexican-Hat potential is also known as the sombrero potential, the Ricker potential, and the parabolic potential. These names all refer to the characteristic shape of the potential energy function, which resembles a sombrero or a parabola.

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