Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-i-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/3/b/solution

Let and write . Then
Since and , the quadratic potential is
Therefore
The constant can be dropped from the fluctuation equations. For canonical real fields, use :
These are the radial and angular masses of a phase-invariant scalar potential. The radial Higgs mode changes the field magnitude and costs energy to second order. The angular Goldstone boson changes the phase along the vacuum circle without a quadratic restoring force. Its linear dispersion is , whereas the radial mode has . The zero angular mass follows the continuous broken global symmetry, not from an accidental cancellation in a particular coordinate choice.

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