Some Two-Loop Corrections to the Finite Temperature Effective Potential in the Electroweak Theory

Perturbation theory at finite temperature suffers from well-known infrared problems. In the standard model, as a result, one cannot calculate the effective potential for arbitrarily small values of $\phi$, the Higgs expectation value. Because the Higgs field is now known not to be extremely light, it is necessary to determine whether perturbation theory is a reliable guide to properties of the weak phase transition. In this note, we evaluate the most singular contributions to the potential at two loops as well as the leading strong interaction contributions. Above the critical temperature, the strong interaction corrections are reasonably small, while the weak corrections are about 10\%, even for rather small values of the Higgs field. At the critical temperature, the weak corrections have a more substantial effect, rendering the transition significantly more first order, but not significantly changing the upper bound on the Higgs mass required for baryogenesis.Comment: 13 pages, figures available on request, SCIPP 92/4

On the High TT Phase Transition in the Gauged SU(2)SU(2) Higgs Model

We study the effective field theory of a weakly coupled 3+1d gauged $\phi^4$ type model at high temperature. Our model has $4N$ real scalars ($N$ complex Higgs doublets) and a gauge group $SU(2)$ which is spontaneously broken by a nonzero scalar field $vev$ at zero temperature. We find, for sufficiently large $N$, that the transition from the high temperature symmetry restoring phase to the low temperature phase can be either first order or second order depending on the ratio of the gauge coupling to the scalar self coupling.Comment: 16 pages. 1 Figure, not include

Quantum scale invariance, cosmological constant and hierarchy problem

We construct a class of theories which are scale invariant on quantum level in all orders of perturbation theory. In a subclass of these models scale invariance is spontaneously broken, leading to the existence of a massless dilaton. The applications of these results to the problem of stability of the electroweak scale against quantum corrections, to the cosmological constant problem and to dark energy are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, replaced with journal versio

Strong Sphalerons and Electroweak Baryogenesis

We analyze the spontaneous baryogenesis and charge transport mechanisms suggested by Cohen, Kaplan and Nelson for baryon asymmetry generation in extended versions of electroweak theory. We find that accounting for non-perturbative chirality-breaking transitions due to strong sphalerons reduces the baryonic asymmetry by the factor $(m_t/\pi T)^2$ or $\alpha_W$, provided those processes are in thermal equilibrium.Comment: CERN-TH.7080/9