Is Electroweak Interaction a Unified Force at High Temperatures?

[hsakai]

I (moderately) understand the basics of the electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces, but I recently heard of a combined electro-weak theory. It apparently states that two forces are different manifestations of a single force at very high temperatures. Does this mean that the photon (electromagnetic force-carrier) and the W and Z particles (weak force-carriers) are the same particle at that temperature?

 

[ansgar]

I (moderately) understand the basics of the electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces, but I recently heard of a combined electro-weak theory. It apparently states that two forces are different manifestations of a single force at very high temperatures. Does this mean that the photon (electromagnetic force-carrier) and the W and Z particles (weak force-carriers) are the same particle at that temperature?

well not the same but they behave as they were the same (photon and Z) with equal strengths.

 

[bcrowell]

By analogy, consider the electric and magnetic forces. They were originally thought to be separate phenomena, but now we know that they're different aspects of the same phenomenon. For example, a purely electric field in one frame of reference will be observed as a mixture of electric and magnetic fields in a different frame of reference. This unifies electricity and magnetism. Unification of electromagnetism with the weak force is another step in the same direction.