From screening to confinement in a Higgs-like model

TL;DR

This paper explores a Higgs-like model using a gauge-invariant formalism, revealing that the interaction potential can exhibit both screening and confinement behaviors depending on the scalar field's properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of a Higgs-like model showing confinement phenomena in a gauge-invariant framework, which is a new insight compared to previous studies.

Findings

Screening potential for charged massive scalars.

Confinement potential with a linear component in the Higgs case.

Unexpected combination of Yukawa and linear potentials.

Abstract

We investigate a recently proposed Higgs-like model (arXiv:0811.4423 [hep-th]), in the framework of a gauge-invariant but path-dependent variables formalism. We compute the static potential between test charges in a condensate of scalars and fermions. In the case of charged massive scalar we recover the screening potential. On the other hand, in the Higgs case, with a "tachyonic" mass term and a quartic potential in the Lagrangian, unexpected features are found. It is observed that the interaction energy is the sum of an effective-Yukawa and a linear potential, leading to the confinement of static charges.