EFFECTIVE POTENTIALS AND SYMMETRY RESTORATION IN THE CHIRAL ABELIAN HIGGS MODEL

Abstract

The chiral Abelian Higgs model is studied at finite temperature. By integrating out the heavy modes, we make a three-dimensional effective theory for the static modes. It is demonstrated that the plasma masses are correctly reproduced to leading order in m2/T2. The effective potential for the composite operator ɸ†ɸ is calculated at one-loop for the resulting three-dimensional theory and it is shown that the result is gauge parameter independent. The numerical investigation of the potential reveals that the symmetry is restored via a first-order phase transition. Comparison with the ordinary ring improved potential is made and it is found that the barrier height at Tc is somewhat higher.