In this thesis, we focus on some problems of symmetry breaking in unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theories. In Chapter I we set the scene with a brief history of weak interaction theory up until the impasse which led to the development of the unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theory strategy. In Chapter 2 we describe the basic ideas underlying the new gauge strategy, illustrate how these ideas can be concretized in a specific model and discuss some of the prospects and problems which remain to be solved. In Chapters 3 and 4 we make a small contribution towards some of the problems which arise in applying the gauge strategy. We focus in particular on the role of the Higgs scalars in the spontaneous breakdown of the theory. In Chapter 3, we consider the following question: how can we break the gauge symmetry in such a way that all of the weak vector mesons acquire mass but the photon remains massless? In Chapter 4, in the context of a specific model, we study the effects on calculable quantities, such as the proton-neutron mass difference, of varying the Higgs content and investigate the appearance of pions as part of the Higgs system.
","abstract_html":"<p>In this thesis, we focus on some problems of symmetry breaking in unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theories. In Chapter I we set the scene with a brief history of weak interaction theory up until the impasse which led to the development of the unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theory strategy. In Chapter 2 we describe the basic ideas underlying the new gauge strategy, illustrate how these ideas can be concretized in a specific model and discuss some of the prospects and problems which remain to be solved. In Chapters 3 and 4 we make a small contribution towards some of the problems which arise in applying the gauge strategy. We focus in particular on the role of the Higgs scalars in the spontaneous breakdown of the theory. In Chapter 3, we consider the following question: how can we break the gauge symmetry in such a way that all of the weak vector mesons acquire mass but the photon remains massless? In Chapter 4, in the context of a specific model, we study the effects on calculable quantities, such as the proton-neutron mass difference, of varying the Higgs content and investigate the appearance of pions as part of the Higgs system.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lieberman, Judy"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Abraham Pais"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1974,"date_issued":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1974-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:10:53Z","subjects":["symmetry breaking","gauge theory","Higgs scalar","weak interactions","spontaneous symmetry breaking","unified electroweak theory","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/498","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Abraham Pais"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lieberman, Judy"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["symmetry breaking","gauge theory","Higgs scalar","weak interactions","spontaneous symmetry breaking","unified electroweak theory","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/498"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this thesis, we focus on some problems of symmetry breaking in unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theories. In Chapter I we set the scene with a brief history of weak interaction theory up until the impasse which led to the development of the unified weak-electromagnetic gauge theory strategy. In Chapter 2 we describe the basic ideas underlying the new gauge strategy, illustrate how these ideas can be concretized in a specific model and discuss some of the prospects and problems which remain to be solved. In Chapters 3 and 4 we make a small contribution towards some of the problems which arise in applying the gauge strategy. We focus in particular on the role of the Higgs scalars in the spontaneous breakdown of the theory. In Chapter 3, we consider the following question: how can we break the gauge symmetry in such a way that all of the weak vector mesons acquire mass but the photon remains massless? In Chapter 4, in the context of a specific model, we study the effects on calculable quantities, such as the proton-neutron mass difference, of varying the Higgs content and investigate the appearance of pions as part of the Higgs system.
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"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/498"],"dc:subject":["symmetry breaking","gauge theory","Higgs scalar","weak interactions","spontaneous symmetry breaking","unified electroweak theory","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"dc:title":["Some Aspects of Symmetry Breaking in Unified Weak-Electromagnetic Gauge Theories"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:10:53Z"}