Let be the eigenvalues of the positive semidefinite matrix . The potential is
For and , each summand is minimized at
so . A symmetry transformation preserves the representative precisely when , giving
The number of broken generators is , so the Goldstone theorem predicts modes, each a Goldstone boson.
Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.
For Hermitian , the continuous transformations preserving the field space act by conjugation,
with the central acting trivially; there is also the discrete symmetry . The vacuum equation is , so every vacuum is unitarily conjugate to
Because the integer cannot change continuously, the vacuum manifold has disconnected components
On the th component the unbroken continuous group is , and the Goldstone theorem gives
Goldstone bosons. The discrete sign symmetry exchanges the components and but produces no Goldstone mode.
Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.
A global symmetry is spontaneously broken when it preserves the action but does not preserve a chosen ground state. If is broken to the stabilizer , the degenerate vacua form a vacuum manifold . The Goldstone theorem states that a relativistic theory has one massless scalar mode for each broken continuous internal generator, so the standard counting gives Goldstone bosons.
Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.