Related papers: Semilocal Topological Defects
I analyze the interplay of gauge and global symmetries in the theory of topological defects. In a two-dimensional model in which both gauge symmetries and {\it exact} global symmetries are spontaneously broken, stable vortices may fail to…
We review recent simulations of the formation of a particular class of non-topological defects known as semilocal strings during a phase transition. Semilocal strings have properties that are intermediate between topological cosmic strings…
We demonstrate that field theories involving explicit breaking of continous symmetries, incorporate two generic classes of topological defects each of which is stable for a particular range of parameters. The first class includes defects of…
It has been pointed out that cosmic string solutions can exist in gauge field theories with broken symmetry even when $\pi _1(G/H)$ is trivial. The stability of such semilocal defects is not guaranteed by topology and depends on dynamical…
\def\mon{S^3\stackrel{S^1}{\rightarrow}S^2} \def\inst{S^7\stackrel{S^3}{\rightarrow}S^4} \def\octo{S^{15}\stackrel{S^7}{\rightarrow}S^8} In semilocal theories, the vacuum manifold is fibered in a non-trivial way by the action of the gauge…
Topological defects can arise in symmetry breaking models where the scalar field potential $V(\phi)$ has no minima and is a monotonically decreasing function of $|\phi|$. The properties of such vacuumless defects are quite different from…
We review a class of non-topological defects in the standard electroweak model, and their implications. Starting with the semilocal string, which provides a counterexample to many well known properties of topological vortices, we discuss…
Formation and evolution of topological defects in course of non-equilibrium symmetry breaking phase transitions is of wide interest in many areas of physics, from cosmology through condensed matter to low temperature physics. Its study in…
Domain walls, strings and monopoles are extended objects, or defects, of quantum origin with topologically non--trivial properties and macroscopic behavior. They are described in Quantum Field Theory in terms of inhomogeneous condensates.…
We analyze the relation between rigid and local supersymmetric N=2 field theories, when half of the supersymmetries are spontaneously broken. In particular, we show that the recently found partial supersymmety breaking induced by electric…
We show that in certain theories with topologically trivial quotient space of spontaneously broken gauge symmetry there can exist topologically stable strings that carry nonabelian gauge flux. These objects result from the ``accidental''…
We present the simplest possible model for a semi-local string defect in which a U(1) gauged subgroup of an otherwise global SU(2) is broken to produce local cosmic strings endowed with current-carrying properties. Restricting attention to…
Inspired by the appearance of split-complex structures in the dimensional reduction of string theory, and in the theories emerging as byproducts, we study the hyper-complex formulation of Abelian gauge field theories, by incorporating a new…
We propose a class of field theories featuring solitonic solutions in which topological defects can end when they intersect other defects of equal or higher dimensionality. Such configurations may be termed ``Dirichlet topological…
We show the existence of self-dual semilocal nontopological vortices in a $\Phi^2$ Chern-Simons (C-S) theory. The model of scalar and gauge fields with a $SU(2)_{global} \times U(1)_{local}$ symmetry includes both the C-S term and an…
In superconductors, and in other systems with a local U(1) gauge invariance, there are two mechanisms that form topological defects in phase transitions. In addition to the standard Kibble mechanism, thermal fluctuations of the magnetic…
This work investigates cosmic topological defects in gauge theories, focusing on models with an $SU(N)$ gauge group coupled with a single flavor, explored through a holographic framework. At low energies, the effective theory is described…
We consider an N=2 supersymmetric SU(2) \times U(1) gauge theory with N_f=2 massless flavors and a Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) term. In the presence of the FI term, supersymmetry is spontaneously broken at tree level (on the Coulomb branch),…
If the vacuum manifold of a field theory has the appropriate topological structure, the theory admits topological structures analogous to the D-branes of string theory, in which defects of one dimension terminate on other defects of higher…
We study the formation of monopoles and strings in a model where SU(3) is spontaneously broken to U(2)=[SU(2)\times U(1)]/\ZZ_2, and then to U(1). The first symmetry breaking generates monopoles with both SU(2) and U(1) charges since the…