Broken symmetry

Broken symmetry

Broken symmetry is a concept, developed by Lee and Yang, used in mathematics and physics when an object breaks either rotational symmetry or translational symmetry. That is, when one can only rotate an object in certain angles or when one is able to discern if the object has been shifted sideways (unless one shifts by a whole number of lattice units). For example, imagine a jumping bean sitting atop a Mexican hat like the one pictured here. It is in a rotationally symmetric state until it inevitably hops and falls down to a lower equilibrium, breaking the rotational symmetry.

Art

A sculpture depicting this principle as it is used in the Standard Model of quantum physics is installed at the entrance to Fermilab [http://history.fnal.gov/art_architecture.html#21] .

ee also

*Catastrophe theory
*Symmetry
*Spontaneous symmetry breaking

External links

*Mathworld: Symmetry [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Symmetry.html] , Rotation [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Rotation.html] and Translation [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Translation.html] .
*Identify the Broken Symmetry [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/OrderParameters/BrokenSymmetry.html]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Symmetry breaking — in physics describes a phenomenon where (infinitesimally) small fluctuations acting on a system crossing a critical point decide a system s fate, by determining which branch of a bifurcation is taken. For an outside observer unaware of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Symmetry — For other uses, see Symmetry (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Symmetry in physics — refers to features of a physical system that exhibit the property of symmetry that is, under certain transformations, aspects of these systems are unchanged , according to a particular observation. A symmetry of a physical system is a physical or …   Wikipedia

  • Symmetry in biology — For other uses, see Symmetry (disambiguation) and Bilateral (disambiguation). Bilateral symmetry redirects here. For bilateral symmetry in mathematics, see reflection symmetry. The elaborate patterns on the wings of butterflies are one example of …   Wikipedia

  • Spontaneous symmetry breaking — Quantum field theory (Feynman diagram) …   Wikipedia

  • 1964 PRL symmetry breaking papers — Five of the six 2010 Sakurai Prize Winners Kibble, Guralnik, Hagen, Englert, and Brout In 1964 three teams proposed related but different approaches to explain how mass could arise in local gauge theories. These three, now famous, papers were… …   Wikipedia

  • Event symmetry — The term Event symmetry describes invariance principles that have been used in some discrete approaches to quantum gravity where the diffeomorphism invariance of general relativity can be extended to a covariance under any permutation of… …   Wikipedia

  • Chiral symmetry — In quantum field theory, chiral symmetry is a possible symmetry of the Lagrangian under which the left handed and right handed parts of Dirac fields transform independently. The chiral symmetry transformation can be divided into a component that… …   Wikipedia

  • Left-right symmetry — is a general principle in physics which holds that valid physical laws must not produce a different result for a motion that is left handed than motion that is right handed. The most common application is expressed as equal treatment of clockwise …   Wikipedia

  • T-symmetry — is the symmetry of physical laws under a time reversal transformation mdash;: T: t mapsto t.Although in restricted contexts one may find this symmetry, the universe itself does not show symmetry under time reversal. This is due to the uncertainty …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”