9 The Goldstone Theorem

The mechanism of SSB does not only provide a general strategy for unifying the description of apparently different systems, but it also provide information on the energy spectrum of an infinite dimensional system, by means of the so-called Goldstone theorem, according to which to each broken generator T of a continuous symmetry there corresponds a massless mode, i.e. a free wave. The quantum version of such a statement has been turned into a theorem, whereas, as far as we know, no analogous theorem has been proved for classical (infinite dimensional) systems and the standard accounts seem to rely on heuristic arguments.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Scuola Normale Superiore Classe di Scienze Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 56100 Pisa, Italy

   Franco Strocchi

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