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Broken Symmetry and the Accelerated Observer

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Symmetries in Science II

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Abstract

Spontaneous symmetry breaking affords an interesting probe of the phenomenon of “acceleration radiation” in general relativistic quantum field theory and raises a peculiar paradox. Accelerated observers infer the presence of particles in the vacuum in a thermal distribution with a temperature proportional to the proper acceleration. Nonetheless, by ever increasing the temperature (acceleration) a broken symmetry cannot be restored without violating general covariance. How does the accelerated observer interpret this outcome dynamically?

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, Illinois, 60510, USA

    Christopher T. Hill

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  1. Christopher T. Hill
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA

    Bruno Gruber  & Romuald Lenczewski  & 

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© 1986 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Hill, C.T. (1986). Broken Symmetry and the Accelerated Observer. In: Gruber, B., Lenczewski, R. (eds) Symmetries in Science II. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1472-2_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1472-2_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-1474-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-1472-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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