Standard Model as the topological material

TL;DR

This paper explores the Standard Model as a topological material, analyzing its phases through topological invariants and their relation to vacuum stability, linking high-energy physics with topological condensed matter concepts.

Contribution

It establishes a novel perspective by interpreting the Standard Model's phases as topological phases, connecting topological invariants with vacuum stability in high-energy physics.

Findings

Symmetric phase of SM is a topological semimetal.

Broken symmetry phases correspond to topological insulators.

Topological invariants relate to vacuum stability.

Abstract

Study of the Weyl and Dirac topological materials (topological semimetals, insulators, superfluids and superconductors) opens the route for the investigation of the topological quantum vacua of relativistic fields. The symmetric phase of the Standard Model (SM), where both electroweak and chiral symmetry are not broken, represents the topological semimetal. The vacua of the SM (and its extensions) in the phases with broken Electroweak symmetry represent the topological insulators of different types. We discuss in details the topological invariants in both symmetric and broken phases and establish their relation to the stability of vacuum.