Confinement without a center: the exceptional groupG(2)

Abstract We discuss theories with the exceptional centerless gauge group G (2), paying attention to confinement and the pattern of chiral symmetry breaking. Exploiting the Higgs mechanism to break the symmetry down to SU (3), we also present how the familiar features of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking of SU (3) gauge theories reemerge. G(2) gauge theories show up as an unusual theoretical framework to study SU (3) gauge theories without the “luxury” of a center.