Proca-Higgs balls and stars in a UV completion for Proca self-interactions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a Proca-Higgs model with a complex vector field gaining mass through spontaneous symmetry breaking, leading to new flat and self-gravitating soliton solutions called Proca-Higgs balls and stars, which extend the landscape of vector solitons.

Contribution

It presents a UV-complete Proca-Higgs model that produces novel soliton solutions, avoiding hyperbolicity issues of previous self-interacting Proca models.

Findings

Discovery of flat spacetime Proca-Higgs balls and self-gravitating Proca-Higgs stars.

Stars reduce to known Proca stars in certain limits.

The model avoids hyperbolicity problems of earlier self-interacting Proca theories.

Abstract

We consider a Proca-Higgs model wherein a complex vector field gains mass via spontaneous symmetry breaking, by coupling to a real scalar field with a Higgs-type potential. This vector version of the scalar Friedberg-Lee-Sirlin model, can be considered as a UV completion of a complex Proca model with self-interactions. We study the flat spacetime and self-gravitating solitons of the model, that we dub Proca-Higgs \textit{balls} and \textit{stars} respectively, exploring the domain of solutions and describing some of their mathematical and physical properties. The stars reduce to the well-known (mini-)Proca stars in some limits. The full model evades the hyperbolicity problems of the self-interacting Proca models, offering novel possibilities for dynamical studies beyond mini-Proca stars.