CP3 lunch seminar: Mass generation mechanisms, A maze of dualities, A zoo of topological defects

by Bruno Bertrand

Wednesday 20 Feb 2008, 13:00 → 13:50 Europe/Brussels

Cycl 06

Mass generation mechanisms A maze of dualities A zoo of topological defects I first give an introduction to the commonly used gauge invariant mass generation mechanisms in particle physics. I will show then in a conceptual way how these mass generation mechanisms are related through an intricate network of dualities. Finally, in the same way as the abelian Higgs model possesses vortex solutions (equivalent to Abrikosov vortices in superconductivity), I show that its dual formulation admits such solutions. These latter solutions are readily generalisable to extended topological defects in more than 3 spacetime dimensions and have a double interpretation either in term of vortex, or in term of monopole embedded in a dielectric medium. I will finish my talk by some open questions, stimulating the large range of skills of the audience in QCD, condensed matter physics, solid state physics, Stueckelberg extension of the Standard Model, cosmic strings and Brane scenarii, in order to develop some applications of my model.