The electroweak interaction is the gauge theory that unifies the weak and electromagnetic interactions.
The Standard Model Higgs field is a complex doublet of hypercharge . Its nonzero vacuum expectation value triggers the Higgs mechanism.
In the Higgs mechanism, gauge fields associated with broken generators acquire longitudinal polarizations and masses by absorbing Goldstone modes. Gauge fields of the unbroken subgroup remain massless.
Unitary gauge uses a gauge transformation to remove the Goldstone fields from the Higgs multiplet, leaving the physical radial Higgs excitation and massive vector fields.
The Higgs boson is the neutral radial excitation of the Higgs field about its vacuum expectation value.
The charged electroweak gauge fields are . After electroweak symmetry breaking they have electric charges and mass .
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The electroweak interaction is one of the four fundamental forces of nature, alongside gravitational, electromagnetic, and strong nuclear forces. It is a unification of two fundamental forces: the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force. This theoretical framework was developed in the 1970s and is a key aspect of the Standard Model of particle physics.
