Search for symmetry restoration in the fundamental SU(2) Higgs model

Abstract The phase structure of the fundamental SU(2) Higgs model at finite temperature is investigated close to the zero-temperature Higgs transition by Monte Carlo methods. In the confined phase at zero temperature we find a crossover from a confined to a deconfined region that remains quite sharp on lattices of temporal extent N T = 4 even close to the Higgs transition. On asymmetric lattices the Higgs transition shifts slightly compared to the zero-temperature, symmetric lattice, giving indirect evidence for symmetry restoration at high temperature.