minimizing the Higgs potential equivalent to finding the minimum?

Question

When my advisor tells me to "minimize the Higgs potential", is she asking me to find the minimum (take the derivative of the potential and set it equal to zero)?

Answer 1

Although rather late in answering (I just came across your question): Tomas Brauner, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1001.5212, section 4.2, gives a general discussion about these matters.