| Abstract: | A comprehensive analysis of the application of the method of collective coordinates to the two dimensional Higgs model is given. First the instanton solution is derived, and the geometry of configuration space, and the construction of Schrodinger wave functionals are discussed. It is then explicitly verified that the Goldstone mode is the projection of the vacuum state onto the generator of the broken symmetry. The elimination of this Goldstone mode by means of the unitary gauge condition is demonstrated to the the crucial point in the construction of a consistent perturbation procedure. The parameter of the broken symmetry group is then used as the collective coordinate for field configurations around a minimum of the interaction. Throughout, the discussion is sufficiently detailed in order to facilitate the application of the method to other fields. |
