Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / 4

For $SU(4)$, Dynkin labels $(a,b,c)$ correspond to a Young diagram with row lengths $(a+b+c,b+c,c)$. Numbered boxes below give representative Young tableaux; they specify the shapes, not additional component values:Here the dimensions are $4$, $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{4}{2}\right)=6$, $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{4}{3}\right)=4$, and $4^2-1=15$. The third is the dual representation $\overline{4}$: the invariant volume tensor identifies $b_l={ϵ}_{lijk}{B}^{ijk}/3!$. The last is the Adjoint representation, equivalent to the shape $(2,1,1)$ Young symmetrizer construction after converting its three-box column to one lower index and removing the trace.

For $U\in SU(4)$, the tensor transformation laws areThese preserve antisymmetry and tracelessness. The Adjoint representation can be treated as complex traceless matrices; a real adjoint scalar field is conventionally represented by Hermitian traceless matrices with the same conjugation action.

Adding one box to the one-box Young diagram gives row shapes $(2)$ and $(1,1)$. Thus the first tensor product splits into the symmetric square and exterior square:Their tensors are respectively $S^{ij}=S^{ji}$ and $A^{ij}=-A^{ji}$. Adding one box to the three-box column gives shapes $(2,1,1)$ and $(1,1,1,1)$. The full four-box column is the determinant representation, trivial because $\det U=1$. ConsequentlyFor a mixed tensor $T^i{}_j$, the corresponding pieces are $T^i{}_j-\frac{1}{4}{\delta }^i{}_j{T}^k{}_k$ and $\frac{1}{4}{\delta }^i{}_j{T}^k{}_k$.

Under the two-block subgroup $H_2$, the defining vector space splits into its first and last two coordinates. ThereforeFor the exterior square, the exterior square of a direct sum identity gives two within-block determinant representations, each trivial for $SU(2)$, and the cross-block tensor product $(2,2)$. For the Adjoint representation, use $\mathrm{End}({\mathbb{C}}^4)-1$: each diagonal two-by-two block contributes a scalar and a traceless triplet, while each off-diagonal block gives $(2,2)$ because the SU(2) doublet is self-dual. Removing the overall trace leaves one scalar. The dimension counts are $2+2=4$, $1+1+4=6$, and $3+3+4+4+1=15$.

Under $H_3$, the first three coordinates carry the defining SU(3) representation and the fourth is fixed. HenceIndeed ${\wedge }^2(3\oplus 1)={\wedge }^{2}3\oplus 3=\overline{3}\oplus 3$. The upper three-by-three block of a traceless matrix supplies the Adjoint representation $8$ and one scalar, while the upper-right and lower-left blocks give $3$ and $\overline{3}$. This establishes the branching of a representation in each case without a dimension-only guess.

An unbroken subgroup $H$ must fix the vacuum expectation value itself. Thus a nonzero $H$-invariant vacuum expectation value can exist only if the restriction of a representation to $H$ contains a trivial representation. Applying the singlet criterion for an unbroken subgroup to solution givesThe two “no” entries are forbidden for every nonzero vacuum expectation value. Each “yes” means that the indicated subgroup can remain unbroken, subject to the scalar potential choosing such a vacuum. It does not by itself prove that the indicated subgroup is the entire stabilizer.

For exact spontaneous symmetry breaking to the stated subgroup, the distinction matters. A complex $4$ admits an exact $H_3$ stabilizer; a complex $6$ admits an exact $H_2$ stabilizer. A single $15$ preserving $H_2$ or $H_3$ necessarily preserves an additional continuous $U(1)$, as computed in solution, so neither exact endpoint is possible with that single field. Also, if the $6$ scalar field is constrained to the real structure of the SU4 exterior square, its nonzero stabilizer is larger than $H_2$. The paper does not specify whether this reality constraint is imposed, so both cases are distinguished below.

The fundamental case. Set $⟨\varphi ⟩=v{e}_4$, where $v\ne 0$. Fixing this vector forces the fourth column of a unitary matrix to be $e_4$, and hence also fixes its fourth row. The remaining three-by-three block has determinant one. ThereforeEvery nonzero complex vector can be brought to this form by an SU(4) transformation: complete its normalized direction to a unitary basis and adjust the phase of a complementary basis vector to obtain determinant one. Thus a generic nonzero fundamental vacuum expectation value has a conjugate of $H_3$ as its exact unbroken subgroup. The particular embedded $H_3$ of the question is fixed only when the vacuum expectation value lies along $e_4$.

The antisymmetric case. With $ϵ=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ -1& 0\end{array}\right)$, takeSince $VϵV^T=ϵ$ for $V\in SU(2)$, this antisymmetric tensor is fixed by $H_2$ for every $a,b$. Its transformation is $A\mapsto UA{U}^T$, so any stabilizing $U$ also preservesIf $|a|\ne |b|$, its two eigenspaces force $U=\mathrm{diag}(V,\tilde{V})$ with unitary two-by-two blocks. For each nonzero block, $VϵV^T=(\det V)ϵ$ forces the block determinant to be one. If one block is zero, the SU(4) determinant condition forces the other block determinant to be one as well. HenceThe unitary skew-diagonalization of an antisymmetric matrix shows that a generic complex $6$ has two distinct paired singular values; choosing an SU(4) rather than a $U(4)$ basis merely leaves an allowed overall phase in $a,b$. Thus its generic stabilizer is conjugate to $H_2$.

If instead $|a|=|b|\ne 0$, the form is proportional, up to unitary coordinates and phases, to a nondegenerate standard symplectic form. Its stabilizer is the compact symplectic group $USp(4)$, of dimension ten, containing $H_2$ properly. The explicit choice $a=b=1$ is a concrete counterexample to inferring an exact $H_2$ stabilizer from the existence of two singlets alone. For a real $6$, the real structure of the SU4 exterior square imposes $b=\bar{a}$ in this form, so these equal magnitudes are compulsory. Every nonzero real $6$ therefore has the larger compact symplectic group stabilizer. The zero vacuum expectation value preserves all of $SU(4)$.

The adjoint cases. The $H_2$-fixed and $H_3$-fixed traceless matrices have respectively the formsFor a Hermitian adjoint scalar field, choose $a$ real. More generally a complex $a$ gives the same stabilizers. The repeated eigenvalues implyHere $S$ means that the product of the block determinants is one. These groups contain respectively $H_2$ and $H_3$, together with an additional continuous $U(1)$. Explicit extra transformations are $\mathrm{diag}(e^{it}{I}_2,e^{-it}{I}_2)$ and $\mathrm{diag}(e^{it}{I}_3,e^{-3it})$. They commute with $X_2$ and $X_3$ for every $t$, proving that neither exact endpoint $H_2$ or $H_3$ occurs for a single adjoint vacuum expectation value.

Nor do these larger subgroups survive for a generic Hermitian traceless matrix: four distinct eigenvalues leave only the maximal torus $U(1{)}^3$. For a generic complex adjoint matrix, there need not even be a continuous stabilizer; generically its unitary centralizer is just the centre of a group ${\mathbb{Z}}_4$. Thus the displayed degenerate adjoint directions are special. All these statements concern the stabilizer of a possible vacuum expectation value; no unspecified scalar potential can be assumed to select a particular direction or a particular reality condition.