Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-advanced-quantum-field-theory-for-particle-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2025/3/b/solution
Past exam of the advanced quantum field theory for particle physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 3 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Choose the gauge covariant derivative . Write , and . The polar parametrization of the Abelian Higgs field givesHence the full Lagrangian density isAssume and , so the minimum has . In this convention the local gauge symmetry acts asThe combination , the radial field , and the gauge field strength are each invariant, proving invariance of the displayed Lagrangian density.
This parametrization follows the circle of classical minima: measures distance away from the vacuum manifold, whereas moves along a gauge orbit. It separates the massive radial Higgs mode from the would-be Goldstone boson and makes its removal by the Higgs mechanism transparent. At quadratic order,The polar parametrization of the Abelian Higgs field is a local description near the chosen nonzero vacuum expectation value; it is singular at and is not a global coordinate system for configurations with zeros or winding.
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