Pith. sign in

REVIEW 3 cited by

Cancelling the vacuum energy and Weyl anomaly in the standard model with dimension-zero scalar fields

Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.

SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event

T0 review · schema-true

One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.

pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp

arxiv 2110.06258 v2 pith:LPRUBY64 submitted 2021-10-12 hep-th astro-ph.COgr-qchep-ph

classification hep-thastro-ph.COgr-qchep-ph
keywords fieldmodelstandardweylanomalyhiggsscalarvacuum
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
0 comments
abstract

The standard model is a remarkably consistent and complete quantum field theory but its coupling to gravity and the Higgs field remain problematic, as reflected in the cosmological constant problem, the Weyl anomaly, and the hierarchy puzzle. We point out that 36 conformally-coupled dimension-zero scalar fields can simultaneously cancel the vacuum energy and both terms in the Weyl anomaly, if the Higgs field is emergent. The cancellation is highly non-trivial: given the standard model gauge group $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$, it requires precisely $48$ Weyl fermions, {\it i.e.}, three generations of standard model fermions, including right-handed neutrinos. Due to a large additional gauge symmetry, the new scalars contribute no new local degrees of freedom or particle states. Their only physical state is their vacuum state, in which they possess a scale invariant power spectrum extending to long wavelengths. This suggests a new explanation for the primordial scalar perturbations in cosmology, not requiring inflation. We also discuss how the Higgs field might emerge as a composite object.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Forward citations

Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. The One-Loop QCD $\beta$-Function as an Index

    hep-th 2025-10 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    The one-loop QCD beta-function coefficient b and the Weyl anomaly difference a-c are computed as the first Chern class of a determinant line bundle via Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch on twistor space.

  2. Fixed points of classical gravity coupled with a Standard-Model-like theory

    hep-th 2025-09 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    A free conformal matter content with n1/2=4n1 and n'_0=3n1 gives a UV fixed point where all stress tensor correlators are finite; the Standard Model with right-handed neutrinos and 36 four-derivative scalars is such a theory.

  3. CMB Constraints on Quantized Spatial Curvature $\Omega_K$ in globally CPT-symmetric universes

    astro-ph.CO 2025-09 reject novelty 5.0 of 10

    Matching two wavevector quantization conditions in a closed CPT-symmetric universe predicts discrete spatial curvature values, with Planck data favoring ΩK ≈ -0.039.

Pith tools