Higher-Energy Standard Model from the Gauge Group Contraction

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the high-energy limit of the Standard Model can be described by gauge group contraction, leading to massless particles and altered interaction properties at infinite temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using gauge group contraction to model the Standard Model's behavior at extremely high energies.

Findings

Particles become massless at infinite temperature.

Weak interactions turn long-range and are mediated by neutral currents.

Quarks retain only one color degree of freedom.

Abstract

The evolution of properties and interactions of elementary particles is described, beginning with the Planck scale of $10^{19}$ GeV. The description is based on the hypothesis that high-temperature (high-energy) limit of the Standard Model is generated by the gauge group contraction. In the infinite-temperature limit, properties of particles fundamentally change: all particles lose their masses, only massless neutral $Z$ bosons and $u$ quarks together with neutrinos and photons survive. Weak interactions become long-range ones and are generated by neutral currents. Quarks have only one color degree of freedom.