The Higgs Phenomenon in Quantum Gravity

The Higgs phenomenon occurs in theories of gravity in which the connection is an independent dynamical variable. The role of order parameters is played by the soldering form and a fiber metric. The breaking of the original gauge symmetry is linked to the appearance of geometrical structures on spacetime. These facts suggest certain modifications and generalizations of the theory. We propose a Higgs-like model which provides a dynamical explanation for the nondegeneracy of the metric and a framework for the unification of gravity with the other interactions.