Generalized symmetry breaking on orbifolds

TL;DR

This paper explores new mechanisms of mass generation in higher-dimensional theories compactified on orbifolds, emphasizing the role of fixed points and localized mass terms in symmetry breaking.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized approach to symmetry breaking on orbifolds, including localized mass terms at fixed points, applicable to global and local symmetries.

Findings

Localized mass terms can break symmetries explicitly at orbifold fixed points

The technique describes breaking of flavor symmetries and supersymmetries

Applicable to spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetries and supergravities

Abstract

We reconsider the phenomenon of mass generation via coordinate-dependent compatifications of higher-dimensional theories on orbifolds. For definiteness, we study a generic five-dimensional (5D) theory compactified on S^1/Z_2. We show that the presence of fixed points, where the fields or their derivatives may be discontinuous, permits new realizations of the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism where, for example, the mass terms are localized at the orbifold fixed points. Our technique can be used to describe the explicit breaking of global flavor symmetries and supersymmetries by brane-localized mass terms. It can also be applied to the spontaneous breaking of local symmetries, such as gauge symmetries or supergravities.