2005/03/31 by Ingo Kirsch · 3 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Affine connection #Affine transformation #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Classical mechanics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Diffeomorphism #Geometry #Gravitation #Higgs boson #Higgs field #Higgs mechanism #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Particle physics #Physics #Pure mathematics #Quantum field theory in curved spacetime #Quantum gravity #Quantum mechanics #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Spacetime #Spacetime symmetries #Spontaneous symmetry breaking #Symmetry breaking #Theoretical physics #gr-qc #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.72.024001
published as Phys.Rev. D72 (2005) 024001 · 15 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables, appendix C on on-shell d.o.f. added, references added
arxiv created 2005/06/13 · openalex publication_date 2005/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In this paper we elaborate on the idea of an emergent spacetime which arises due to the dynamical breaking of diffeomorphism invariance in the early universe. In preparation for an explicit symmetry breaking scenario, we consider nonlinear realizations of the group of analytical diffeomorphisms which provide a unified description of spacetime structures. We find that gravitational fields, such as the affine connection, metric, and coordinates, can all be interpreted as Goldstone fields of the diffeomorphism group. We then construct a Higgs mechanism for gravity in which an affine spacetime evolves into a Riemannian one by the condensation of a metric. The symmetry breaking potential is identical to that of hybrid inflation but with the noninflaton scalar extended to a symmetric second-rank tensor. This tensor is required for the realization of the metric as a Higgs field. We finally comment on the role of Goldstone coordinates as a dynamical fluid of reference.