Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The required absence of global symmetries in quantum gravity has been used to imply that all non-compact gauge theories are in the swampland. This argument stems from the idea that non-compact gauge symmetries always seem to be accompanied by global symmetries that cannot be broken with a finite number of fields. In this work, we investigate whether these symmetries can be broken by an uncountable infinity of fields. We find that the symmetries can be broken, but as soon as we add these fields the EFT breaks down and in some cases decompactifies to a higher-dimensional theory without the non-compact gauge symmetry, akin to undoing a Kaluza-Klein reduction on a non-compact space. We make various comments on the species scale, free parameters, and the Weak Gravity Conjecture along the way.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Gagliano, Finn, Tudball, Christopher
Institution: Durham University
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: STFC Durham Maths 2023 DTP
OpenAlex ID: W7130368281
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