2007/10/18 by Igor Ivanov, I. P. Ivanov · 2 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Computer science #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Degenerate energy levels #Geometry #Higgs boson #Higgs field #Homogeneous space #Mathematical analysis #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Maxima and minima #Minkowski space #Parameter space #Particle physics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Space (punctuation) #Symmetry (geometry) #Theoretical physics #Topology (electrical circuits) #hep-ph #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.77.015017
published as Phys.Rev.D77:015017,2008 · 27 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2007/10/18 · openalex publication_date 2008/01/25 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We continue to explore the consequences of the recently discovered Minkowski space structure of the Higgs potential in the two-Higgs-doublet model. Here, we focus on the vacuum properties. The search for extrema of the Higgs potential is reformulated in terms of 3-quadrics in the 3+1-dimensional Minkowski space. We prove that 2HDM cannot have more than two local minima in the orbit space and that a twice-degenerate minimum can arise only via spontaneous violation of a discrete symmetry of the Higgs potential. Investigating topology of the 3-quadrics, we give concise criteria for existence of noncontractible paths in the Higgs orbit space. We also study explicit symmetries of the Higgs potential/Lagrangian and their spontaneous violation from a wider perspective than usual.