  We propose a new type of symmetry breaking mechanism that takes boundaries
into account, and show how it can detect surface modes by interpreting them as
the order parameter associated with a generalized symmetry breaking. We argue
that this mechanism is analogous to, and yet distinct from, the standard
Ginzburg-Landau scenarios, and show how the two communicate through the
specification of boundary conditions.

Materials Science;Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics