Lorentz Violation by Quark Condensation

TL;DR

This paper explores how quark condensates at high energies can lead to Lorentz symmetry breaking, with potential observable effects in collider experiments, expanding understanding of fundamental symmetry violations.

Contribution

It introduces a model describing Lorentz violation via quark condensates using a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio type effective action, highlighting the competition between different condensates.

Findings

Quark condensates can dynamically break Lorentz symmetry at TeV scales.

Different condensates compete for the global minimum of the effective potential.

Observable effects of Goldstone gauge bosons may be detectable in heavy-ion colliders.

Abstract

At the TeV scale, heavy quarks, for example the 4th generation quarks of the Standard Model with four generations, can form condensates which dynamically break the electroweak symmetry. A dense quark system may form other types of condensates which dynamically break the Lorentz symmetry. These condensates are described by a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio type effective action, similar to the quark condensation models in hadronic matter with finite density. The vacua corresponding to these two types of condensates compete for the global minimum of the effective potential, depending on the energy scale and the related strong dynamics. The resultant Goldstone gauge boson may produce observable effects in relativistic heavy-ion colliders.