Spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum mechanics

Jasper van Wezel; Jeroen van den Brink

doi:10.1119/1.2730839

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum mechanics

Jasper van Wezel
, Jeroen van den Brink

School of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present a mathematically simple procedure to explain spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum systems. The procedure is applicable to a wide range of models and can be easily used to explain the existence of a symmetry broken state in crystals, antiferromagnets, and even superconductors. It has the advantage that it automatically brings to the fore the main players in spontaneous symmetry breaking: the symmetry-breaking field, the thermodynamic limit, and the global excitations of a “thin” spectrum.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	635
Journal	American Journal of Physics
Volume	75
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2730839
Publication status	Published - 23 Mar 2007

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title = "Spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum mechanics",

abstract = "We present a mathematically simple procedure to explain spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum systems. The procedure is applicable to a wide range of models and can be easily used to explain the existence of a symmetry broken state in crystals, antiferromagnets, and even superconductors. It has the advantage that it automatically brings to the fore the main players in spontaneous symmetry breaking: the symmetry-breaking field, the thermodynamic limit, and the global excitations of a “thin” spectrum.",

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AB - We present a mathematically simple procedure to explain spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum systems. The procedure is applicable to a wide range of models and can be easily used to explain the existence of a symmetry broken state in crystals, antiferromagnets, and even superconductors. It has the advantage that it automatically brings to the fore the main players in spontaneous symmetry breaking: the symmetry-breaking field, the thermodynamic limit, and the global excitations of a “thin” spectrum.

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DO - 10.1119/1.2730839

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

SN - 0002-9505

VL - 75

SP - 635

JO - American Journal of Physics

JF - American Journal of Physics

ER -

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum mechanics

Abstract

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