Quantum Field Theory, Effective Potentials and Determinants of Elliptic Operators

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Date
2010-04Author
Paul, Percy Louis
Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The effective potential augments the classical potential with the quantum effects of
virtual particles, and permits the study of spontaneous symmetry breaking.
In contrast to the standard approach where the classical potential already leads to
electroweak symmetry-breaking, the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism explores
quantum corrections as the source of symmetry-breaking.
This thesis explores
extensions of the Coleman -Weinberg mechanism to the situations with more than one Higgs doublet.
These multi-Higgs models have a long history , and occur most naturally in the
Minimal Supersymmetric model.
Mathematical foundations of the zeta function method will be developed and then applied
to regularise the one-loop computation of the effective potentials in a model with two scalar fields.
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)Department
Physics and Engineering PhysicsProgram
Physics and Engineering PhysicsSupervisor
Steele, TomCommittee
Xiao, C.; Szmigielski, J.; Dick, R.; Tanaka, K.; Pywell, R.Copyright Date
April 2010Subject
Quantum Field theory