Electroweak Symmetry Breaking

With this thesis the author contributes to the development of a nonmainstreambut long-standing approach to electroweak symmetry breakingbased on an analogy with superconductivity. Electroweak symmetrybreaking is assumed to be caused by dynamically generated masses oftypical fermions, i.e., of quarks and leptons, which in turn assumes a newdynamics between quarks and leptons. Primarily it is designed to generatefermion masses, and electroweak symmetry breaking is an automaticconsequence..the summary of the topic, the first main part of the thesis addressesthe question as to whether the masses of known quarks and leptons providesufficiently strong sources of electroweak symmetry breaking. It isdemonstrated that neutrino masses subject to the seesaw mechanism areindispensable ingredients. The other two parts of the thesis are dedicatedto the presentation of two particular models: The first model is based onthe new strong Yukawa dynamics and serves as a platform for studyingthe ability to reproduce fermion masses. The second, more realistic modelintroduces a flavor gauge dynamics and its phenomenological consequencesare studied.Although interest in this type of model has waxed and waned over theyears, following the discovery of the Standard-Model-like Higgs particle,it is regaining its relevance.Although interest in this type of model has waxed and waned over theyears, following the discovery of the Standard-Model-like Higgs particle,it is regaining its relevance.Although interest in this type of model has waxed and waned over theyears, following the discovery of the Standard-Model-like Higgs particle,it is regaining its relevance.