Explicit breaking of SO(3) with Higgs fields in the representations ℓ = 2 and ℓ = 3

A gauged SO(3) symmetry is broken into its little groups of the representations ℓ = 2 and ℓ = 3. Explicit Higgs potentials leading to the spontaneous symmetry breaking are constructed. The masses of the gauge bosons and Higgs particles are calculated in terms of the renormalizable potentials. Emergence of Goldstone bosons arising from the absence of certain potential terms is also discussed. Analogous structures between the cosmic strings and disclinations of liquid crystals are noted.