The fundamental-electroweak scale hierarchy in the standard model

Froggatt, C., Laperashvili, L.V. and Nielsen, H.B. (2006) The fundamental-electroweak scale hierarchy in the standard model. Physics of Atomic Nuclei, 69(1), pp. 67-80. (doi: 10.1134/S1063778806010108)

Abstract

The multiple-point principle, according to which several vacuum states with the same energy density exist, is put forward as a fine-tuning mechanism predicting the ratio between the fundamental and electroweak scales in the Standard Model (SM). It is shown that this ratio is exponentially huge: ∼e 40. Using renormalization group equations for the SM, we obtain the effective potential in the two-loop approximation and investigate the existence of its postulated second minimum at the fundamental scale. The investigation of the evolution of the top-quark Yukawa coupling constant in the two-loop approximation shows that, with initial values of the top-quark Yukawa coupling in the interval h(M t )=0.95±0.03 (here, M t is the top-quark pole mass), a second minimum of the SM effective potential can exist in the region ϕmin2≈1016−1022 GeV. A prediction is made of the existence of a new bound state of six top quarks and six antitop quarks, formed owing to Higgs boson exchanges between pairs of quarks-antiquarks. This bound state is supposed to condense in a new phase of the SM vacuum. This gives rise to the possibility of having a phase transition between vacua with and without such a condensate. The existence of three vacuum states (new, electroweak, and fundamental) solves the hierarchy problem in the SM.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Froggatt, Professor Colin
• Authors: Froggatt, C., Laperashvili, L.V., and Nielsen, H.B.
• Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physics of Atomic Nuclei
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1063-7788
• ISSN (Online): 1562-692X