Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-advanced-quantum-field-theory-for-particle-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2025/3/b/solution

Choose the gauge covariant derivative . Write , and . The polar parametrization of the Abelian Higgs field gives
Hence the full Lagrangian density is
Assume and , so the minimum has . In this convention the local gauge symmetry acts as
The 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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