Related papers: Gauge invariance and time symmetry breaking
Gauge fixing and the observable fields for both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories with spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry are studied. We explicitly show that it is possible to globally fix the gauge in the broken sector and hence…
In condensed matter physics gauge symmetries other than the U(1) of electromagnetism are of an emergent nature. Two emergence mechanisms for gauge symmetry are well established: the way these arise in Kramers-Wannier type local-global…
For spontaneous breaking of global or gauge symmetry, it is superfluous to assume that the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field manifesting the symmetry is nonvanishing. The vacuum with spontaneous symmetry breaking simply…
The association of broken symmetries with phase transitions is ubiquitous in condensed matter physics: crystals break translational symmetry, magnets break rotational symmetry, and superconductors break gauge symmetry. However, despite the…
We consider in detail the problem of gauge dependence that exists in relativistic perturbation theory, going beyond the linear approximation and treating second and higher order perturbations. We first derive some mathematical results…
Collapse models are modifications of quantum theory where the wave function is treated as physically real and the collapse of the wave function is a physical process. This appears to introduce a time reversal asymmetry into the dynamics of…
This note addresses the question whether in a gauge theory coupled to gravity internal and spacetime transformation can be mixed. It is shown that if the VEV of the gauge field is flat, the symmetry group is always a product of internal and…
We propose a mechanism for system-induced spontaneous time reparametrization symmetry breaking in canonical gravity. We consider a model of extended canonical gravity, based on Sen's spinorial expression of the spatial-diffeomorphism-gauge…
A framework for wave function collapse models that is symmetric under time reversal is presented. Within this framework there are equivalent pictures of collapsing wave functions evolving in both time directions. The backwards-in-time Born…
Quantifying irreversibility of a system using finite information constitutes a major challenge in stochastic thermodynamics. We introduce an observable that measures the time-reversal asymmetry between two states after a given time lag. Our…
The role of the environment initial conditions in the breaking of the time reversal symmetry of effective theories and in generating the soft irreversibility is studied by the help of Closed Time Path formalism. The initial conditions break…
The Higgs mechanism gives mass to Yang-Mills gauge bosons. According to the conventional wisdom, this happens through the spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry. Yet, gauge symmetries merely reflect a redundancy in the state description and…
In several previous papers we have argued for a global and non-entropic approach to the problem of the arrow of time, according to which the ''arrow'' is only a metaphorical way of expressing the geometrical time-asymmetry of the universe.…
It is well known that unitary symmetries can be `gauged', i.e. defined to act in a local way, which leads to a corresponding gauge field. Gauging, for example, the charge conservation symmetry leads to electromagnetic gauge fields. It is an…
Entropy creation rate is introduced for a system interacting with thermostats ({\it i.e.}, in the usual language, for a system subject to internal conservative forces interacting with ``external'' thermostats via conservative forces) and a…
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is examined by regarding it as a phenomenon in the eternal intermediate state due to sequential perturbations. The concept of the relativistic many-body state is applied to this intermediate state occurring in…
The utilization of time reversal symmetry in designing and implementing (quantum) optical experiments has become more and more frequent over the past years. We review the basic idea underlying time reversal methods, illustrate it with…
We argue that the non-observability of the spontaneous breakdown of Lorentz symmetry (SBLS) caused by the vacuum expectation values of vector fields could provide the origin of all internal symmetries observed. Remarkably, the application…
The symmetries that govern the laws of nature can be spontaneously broken, enabling the occurrence of ordered states. Crystals arise from the breaking of translation symmetry, magnets from broken spin rotation symmetry and massive particles…
Rigid gauge invariance comprises the symmetry content for physical quantities in a local gauge theory. Its derivation from BRS invariance is thus crucial for determining the physical consequences of the symmetry.