bumblebee model

noun

An effective field theory describing a vector field with a vacuum expectation value that spontaneously breaks Lorentz symmetry.

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Meanings

nounbumblebee model (plural bumblebee models)

plural bumblebee models

  1. quantum mechanicsAn effective field theory describing a vector field with a vacuum expectation value that spontaneously breaks Lorentz symmetry.

Origin

Coined by Kostelecký, in reference to the fact that bumblebees' ability to fly has sometimes been questioned on theoretical grounds, and yet they do fly successfully.

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Cite this entry
APA

bumblebee model. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bumblebee%20model

MLA

“bumblebee model.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bumblebee%20model. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bumblebee model,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bumblebee%20model.

Source: bumblebee model on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.