Speaker
Description
The Standard Model (SM) gauge theory with dynamical matter fields possesses an electric one-form $\mathbb{Z}_{6}$ symmetry, characterized by its action on Wilson line operators. At finite temperature, compactification on the thermal circle gives rise to a corresponding 0-form symmetry, whose spontaneous breaking can lead to the formation of domain walls. In this talk, I will focus on its $\mathbb{Z}_{3}$ subgroup in the $SU(3)_{c}\times U(1)_{\rm EM}$ theory with a PNJL-like model. Because this $\mathbb{Z}_{3}$ symmetry is exact, its presence persists even in the confined regime of QCD, dominated by QED. I will discuss the properties of the associated domain walls, their interactions with the thermal plasma, and their cosmological evolution. More broadly, phenomenological consequences of one-form symmetries provide a new probe of the global structure of the SM gauge group, with potential implications for distinguishing grand unified theories and constraining the existence of exotic charged particles.