String Breaking and Monopoles: a Case Study in the 3D Abelian Higgs Model

TL;DR

This paper investigates string breaking in the 3D Abelian Higgs model, showing it is linked to monopole pairing without involving a typical phase transition, thus clarifying the underlying mechanism.

Contribution

It provides a detailed case study demonstrating that string breaking occurs via monopole pairing without a conventional phase transition in the 3D Abelian Higgs model.

Findings

String breaking is associated with monopole pairing.

No ordinary phase transition accompanies string breaking.

The study clarifies the mechanism behind string breaking in the model.

Abstract

We study the breaking of the string spanned between test charges in the three dimensional Abelian Higgs model with compact gauge field and fundamentally charged Higgs field at zero temperature. In agreement with current expectations we demonstrate that string breaking is associated with pairing of monopoles. However, the string breaking is not accompanied by an ordinary phase transition.