Corrections to Wigner-Eckart Relations by Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

Abstract

The matrix elements of operators transforming as irreducible representations of an unbroken symmetry group $G$ are governed by the well-known Wigner-Eckart relations. In the case of infinitely-extended systems, with $G$ spontaneously broken, we prove that the corrections to such relations are provided by symmetry breaking Ward identities, and simply reduce to a tadpole term involving Goldstone bosons. The analysis extends to the case in which an explicit symmetry breaking term is present in the Hamiltonian, with the tadpole term now involving pseudo Goldstone bosons. An explicit example is discussed, illustrating the two cases.

12 pages, accepted for publication in Symmetry (MDPI), special issue "Symmetry and Symmetry Breaking: Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena"