Higgs Definition and 684 Threads

In the Standard Model of particle physics, the Higgs mechanism is essential to explain the generation mechanism of the property "mass" for gauge bosons. Without the Higgs mechanism, all bosons (one of the two classes of particles, the other being fermions) would be considered massless, but measurements show that the W+, W−, and Z0 bosons actually have relatively large masses of around 80 GeV/c2. The Higgs field resolves this conundrum. The simplest description of the mechanism adds a quantum field (the Higgs field) that permeates all space to the Standard Model. Below some extremely high temperature, the field causes spontaneous symmetry breaking during interactions. The breaking of symmetry triggers the Higgs mechanism, causing the bosons it interacts with to have mass. In the Standard Model, the phrase "Higgs mechanism" refers specifically to the generation of masses for the W±, and Z weak gauge bosons through electroweak symmetry breaking. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN announced results consistent with the Higgs particle on 14 March 2013, making it extremely likely that the field, or one like it, exists, and explaining how the Higgs mechanism takes place in nature.
The mechanism was proposed in 1962 by Philip Warren Anderson, following work in the late 1950s on symmetry breaking in superconductivity and a 1960 paper by Yoichiro Nambu that discussed its application within particle physics.
A theory able to finally explain mass generation without "breaking" gauge theory was published almost simultaneously by three independent groups in 1964: by Robert Brout and François Englert; by Peter Higgs; and by Gerald Guralnik, C. R. Hagen, and Tom Kibble. The Higgs mechanism is therefore also called the Brout–Englert–Higgs mechanism, or Englert–Brout–Higgs–Guralnik–Hagen–Kibble mechanism, Anderson–Higgs mechanism, Anderson–Higgs–Kibble mechanism, Higgs–Kibble mechanism by Abdus Salam and ABEGHHK'tH mechanism (for Anderson, Brout, Englert, Guralnik, Hagen, Higgs, Kibble, and 't Hooft) by Peter Higgs. The Higgs mechanism in electrodynamics was also discovered independently by Eberly and Reiss in reverse
as the "gauge" Dirac field mass gain due to the artificially displaced electromagnetic field as a Higgs field.On 8 October 2013, following the discovery at CERN's Large Hadron Collider of a new particle that appeared to be the long-sought Higgs boson predicted by the theory, it was announced that Peter Higgs and François Englert had been awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.

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  1. S

    Renormalised Mass and the Higgs Boson

    Hey, I have the following equation for the renormalised mass of some scalar particle (i.e. Higgs boson) m_{r}^{2}=m_{0}^{2}+\frac{\lambda}{32\pi^{2}}( \Lambda ^{2}-m_{0}^{2}ln(1+\frac{\Lambda^{2}}{\mu^{2}})) Where I have the first order correction to the mass of the loop in a two point...
  2. E

    What is the difference between real and complex Higgs triplets?

    I have read several places that for a simple Higgs triplet model we can have either Y=0, +/- 2 This part I understand, because we have the relation Q=T3+Y/2 and any other Y values would therefore not allow for an electrically neutral Higgs. But what I don't understand is the claim that Y=+/- 2...
  3. Mordred

    Is the Graviton Necessary for Gravity in Light of Higgs Field Discoveries?

    After the Cern discovery supporting the Higgs field Which is something I have little familiarity with. Due mainly to fourm opinions not necessarily this one that had discounted anything Higgs related. I started wondering if we do need a graviton to be the force carrier of gravity in the...
  4. Drakkith

    Have Scientists Found Two Different Higgs Bosons?

    From here: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/12/14/have-scientists-found-two-different-higgs-bosons/ So how significant would this be if it turns out to be true? I wasn't aware that there had been predictions of more than one Higgs in the first place, but the article says...
  5. C

    Is the higgs field required to have space-time warping?

    I wonder if there's a connection and it's a requirement or it's a completely different matter and space(time) warps anyway.
  6. E

    Higgs boson interactions and gravitons

    How is it possible that the Higgs boson interacts with itself? Now that it is almost certainly discovered, how can a particle that gives mass to other particles, give mass to itself? Does it make a 'loop' with other Higgs bosons? How can the Higgs boson interact with other particles in such...
  7. R

    Why is there a need for the Higgs?

    I'm having hard time getting my head around this. If E=mc2, then why do we need a Higgs Boson? Can't all matter simply be pockets of greater or lesser intensity (i.e. energy with highly stable angular momentum carrying mass, less stable angular momentum as short-lived particles, and energy as...
  8. T

    W boson-like particle from Higgs

    Just a random question I thought of while daydreaming. Is it possible for a virtual particle that is not a W Boson, but is very like one (same mass, spin, etc.) to be produced from a Higgs decaying into two photons? Higgs→λλ+disturbance in W field.
  9. nomadreid

    On a point of logic in the Higgs vs strong force origin of mass

    Recently, in the Scientific American blog http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/11/29/person-of-the-year-nomination-for-higgs-boson-riddled-with-errors/?WT_mc_id=SA_CAT_physics_20121130 the author criticizes Time Magazine for its science reporting, which of course is nothing...
  10. S

    How exactly does the Higgs field and boson interact with particles?

    Hi guys, I've read up things on the Higgs field and boson, including the analogy provided by the CERN website. However, what I don't understand is what exactly happens as the Higgs field interact with particles. And for particles, do they mean elementary ones like quarks? Or do they mean more...
  11. Islam Hassan

    Higgs Field: Perfectly Static Particle is Massless?

    Like the question says: if a particle is perfectly static with respect to the Higgs field, can we still define mass or is mass then irrelevant? On another note, (and if I am not mistaken) why does mass not vary with a particle's speed with respect to the Higgs field? IH
  12. N

    Top heavier than Higgs. Why not found at Fermilab?

    The title says it all. The top is heavier than the Higgs boson. In that case, why was the LHC needed to find the Higgs conclusively? (a related question is: how strong was the evidence for the Higgs from the Tevatron?) Is the answer simply a question of higher luminosity at the LHC?? Or is the...
  13. T

    Parity of a Particle (and Parity of the Higgs in particular)

    Im quite confused with the Parity idea. I never payed much attention to it. My thought always was that Parity is related to a discrete symetry of space and it is something that can be measured and can give 1 or -1 (like the x-momentum of a particle that can give "2" "1,9" "1,8" and so on)...
  14. D

    Article: Higgs Boson in Superconductors

    I ran into the following article by Varma, Higgs Boson in Superconductors http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0109409 Varma compares the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with the Higgs Lagrangian and calculates the elementary excitations. He shows that although symmetry is broken in both cases, Higgs...
  15. M

    How Kane et al get the Higgs mass

    Kane, Lu and Zheng have a paper today summarizing how they obtain a Higgs of about 125 GeV within the G2-MSSM (M-theory compactified on a "G2 manifold" so as to give the supersymmetric standard model). I'm not a big fan of this prediction, the machinery behind it is very complicated and I would...
  16. P

    Questions about the behavior of the Higgs particle and Higgs field

    1.) If the particle they believe to be the Higgs particle has a mass of 125 GeV, then how is it that the Higgs field itself does not have mass or react with gravity? If it is in fact the field creating the mechanism that gives everything its mass, and its particle form also has mass, why is it...
  17. P

    Is the mass conferred by Higgs an 'effective' mass?

    I’m struggling to put the Higgs mechanism into the context of established physics. It seems to me that the concept of ‘mass’ is far from immutable. Physicists often qualify mass as ‘effective’. An example is electron mass in a semiconductor, where effective mass may be positive, zero or...
  18. F

    Difference between the Higgs field and the Inflaton field?

    I wonder...
  19. V

    Higgs Boson and Dark Matter / Dark Energy

    Hi; Forgive me if this topic has been covered elsewhere; I'm new here and didn't find an answer to my question by searching the Higgs. With the potential discovery of the Higgs as announced this past July by CMS and ATLAS the one thing that I'm not understanding is why isn't the Higgs...
  20. sweet springs

    Is Inertia Explained by the Higgs Mechanism?

    Hi. Mass of some particle is explained by Higgs mechanism. Is inertia also explained by Higgs mechanism? Inertia increases when a particle is in motion by relativity. Is this increase of energy is explained by Higgs mechanism? More tight binding with Higgs particle when a paricle is...
  21. S

    Expanding Higgs Field: Where Does Energy Come From?

    Assuming the higgs field expands at the speed of light, the radius of the higgs field (all of spacetime actually) should be the age of the universe multiplied by the speed of light. 14.6 billion (4.6*10^17 seconds) * 299,792,458 m/s = 1.38 * 10^26 meters. The spherical volume of spacetime is...
  22. haael

    Why the Higgs boson has been discovered so late?

    The top quark has mass around 173GeV. The Higgs boson (probably) has only 125GeV. Why the top quark has been discovered earlier despite it has larger mass? Why did we need more powerful accelerator to detect a lighter particle? Is it possible that there are some other light particles within our...
  23. L

    Why doesn't charge need the equivalent of a Higgs boson?

    Why in the standard model doesn't charge need a boson like mass needs the Higgs boson?
  24. Orion1

    Derivation of the Higgs mass equation?

    Higgs vacuum expectation value for the Standard Model: (ref. 1 pg. 14) v_h = \sqrt{\frac{(\hbar c)^3}{\sqrt{2} G_F}} Higgs mass equation for the Standard Model: (ref. 1 pg. 14) m_H = \sqrt{2 \lambda_h} v_h \lambda_h - Higgs self-coupling parameter. Integration via substitution: m_H =...
  25. S

    The Higgs Field and Gravity: A Possible Connection?

    I'm just throwing out an idea, which is probably wrong since I don't have a physics degree, but I'm curious anyways. I'd appreciate anyone giving feedback. For starters, I've read that the higgs mechanism, which gives all particles mass, is a paradigm of the meissner effect for superconductors...
  26. A

    Higgs boson and the future of quantum phyiscs

    Can anybody throw light on the following doubts? 1.what is the implication of the recent discovery of the higgs boson in the quantum physics? Does it support the quantum nature of matter and wave and the uncertainty principle? 2. It is said that Einstein did not accept the quantum theory...
  27. C

    Rolling in the Higgs: A Physics-Themed Parody of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep

    (Note to the mods: This post is a link to an art piece concerning the Higgs boson, and not an actual question. I looked though the boards, trying to figure out the appropriate place to post it, and this board seemed most likely. If it doesn't belong on this board, please forgive me and move it...
  28. T

    Higgs Boson and the Missing Cubic Term in the Standard Model

    Why does the standard model have a higgs boson quadratic and a cuartic term but it does not have a cubic term? is there any problem if it happens to have a cubic term? Thanks!
  29. Einj

    Higgs boson and metastable universe

    Hi all. I have recently read an article that summarizes our knowledge about Higgs boson and the consequences of its existence and of the value of its mass. The author says that our universe could be stable, unstable or metastable and that the discrimination between this three options is give by...
  30. M

    Can the Higgs Boson be accelerated to the speed of light?

    I was thinking, because of the relationship between energy and mass and the mathematics, would it (theoretically speaking, of course) be possible to accelerate the Higgs Boson to the speed of light, reducing its mass value to 0 and converting that mass into energy? I was also wondering if this...
  31. T

    Question on Higgs analogy - any answers?

    Hi all I was looking at ways to teach about the Higgs and came across the old 'well-known scientist walks across a conference hall' analogy (see link below) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18707698 My interpretation of this goes as follows: 1. massive particles...
  32. ShayanJ

    Understanding Higgs Mechanism & Its Impact on Particle Mass

    I want to gain an understanding of Higgs mechanism I know I can't understand it precisely without knowing enough group theory,representation theory and etc. but I just want to have sth like a chronologically ordered list of what happens that separates EM and weak interactions and gives...
  33. X

    Is there a relationship between the Higgs boson and gravity?

    I know that the Higgs boson gives particles their mass. I know that there are two kinds of mass: inertial mass and gravitational mass. I know that the Higgs boson gives the inertial mass, but is there a relationship between it and gravity? If so, what is that relationship? As far as I know...
  34. S

    Why to create Higgs Boson in LHC ?

    Hi If the Higgs field is present everywhere then so should be the Higgs Boson right? Then why is a particle accelerator required. Cant it be just detected from around us? Salil
  35. C

    Is the Higgs field the same as space?

    I suppose the title says it all. I'm not a physicist, obviously, and all I know on the subject I know from pop science. I tried Googling this but got pretty much nothing. Here's what I want to know--is there a difference between the Higgs field and the phenomenon we know as space, or are they...
  36. B

    Is Higgs boson a particle of pure mass?

    Is the Higgs boson only a particle of pure mass? It has no charge, no spin, no color, no flavor, etc. Does it have any other non-zero characteristic besides just mass?
  37. G

    More questions about Higgs for the layman

    1. Does the range where the Higgs has (possibly) been detected differ from what was expected? If so, what is the significance of this? 2. What is the name of the corresponding fermion to the higgs boson? 3. Do we already understand the Higgs mechanism "completely" or will its discovery...
  38. S

    Can Antimatter react with Higgs?

    Since Particles react with the Higgs Field to gain mass, can't the antiparticles react with it too to gain mass. Thanks Salil
  39. L

    Higgs Boson: The Ultimate Truth?

    Real or fake? Since we still know so little about particle physics and related applications the question remains out there. I am curious to know what others think?
  40. arivero

    Higgs, SuperStrings and Kaluza Klein

    13D "S-Theory" M4 x S9 has as isometry group SO(10) for the internal S9 space. 12D "F-Theory" M4 x S5 x S3 has SO(6)xSO(4), locally SU(4)xSU(2)xSU(2) 11D "M-Theory" M4 x ((S5xS3)/S1) has isometry group SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1) 10D is target space of SuperStrings, and perhaps also of Connes Chamseddine...
  41. A

    What is q (the charge) in higgs mechanism?

    what is "q" (the charge) in higgs mechanism? hi, does anybody know what kind of charge the "q" stand for in the higgs mechanism? I mean the mechanism between the weak force mediators: W & Z, and the higgs boson, which leads to them acquiring mass. I've learned about it from the...
  42. N

    New Theory: from Superfluids to Higgs mechanism

    Theorem unifies superfluids and other weird materials http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/06/08/theorem-unifies-superfluids-and-other-weird-materials/ Nambu Goldstone bosons...of the Higgs Mechanism!..and phonons...from Cosmology to materials design. “Surprisingly, the implications of...
  43. A

    How does the Higgs mechanism explain the origin of mass in particles?

    Hi, As I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong, when a subatomic particle interacts with the Higgs field it generates mass due to the higgs mechanism. Does this have anything to do with with e = mc2? (I'm not too privy to particle physics or relativity.) Suppose an electron and a...
  44. T

    What is the Higgs Boson made up of?

    what particles?
  45. TrickyDicky

    Is the Higgs mechanism really a spontaneous symmetry breaking?

    The Higgs mechanism is often explained (both here at PF and in many physics sites including wikipedia) as an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking, but the Nobel winner physicist 't Hooft says in his "for laymen" book about particle physics, "In search of the ultimate building blocks", that...
  46. R

    Help understanding the Higgs field?

    So the way I understand it is that certain particles move through the Higgs field and encounter no resistance, giving it no mass. The others that do encounter resistance are the ones that have mass. But if increasing resistance means increasing mass, why wouldn't things become infinitely...
  47. J

    Have they actually found the higgs boson?

    I know they have been very close to it and seen something similar to the boson but did they actually find it? it's like the media has been blowing it up and saying they found it, but there was not official claim, it was just yeah we spend a garbageload of energy and time trying to find it, we...
  48. S.Daedalus

    Is the Quaternion Higgs the Particle Detected at the LHC?

    As everyone knows, since the fourth of July, the family of elementary particles has been re-united with its long-lost son, the Higgs boson. Of course, as every discovery, so this one, too, serves to open up further questions. The first one that presents itself is certainly: So, is this the...
  49. P

    The Higgs mechanism and the Beginning of the Universe

    The Higgs mechanism and the Beginning of the Universe Now that the excitement about the discovery of the Higgs particle has made the Higgs mechanism justly famous, could someone please clarify for me the implications of incorporating this component of the Standard Model of Particle Physics...
  50. arivero

    Fermi four point vs Higgs condensate: differences?

    The fermi four point interaction (consider its modern version, quark up to down plus electron plus antineutrino) is not renormalisable Then we introduce an intermediate boson W in the middle. Then we give mass to this W using the higgs mechanism. Then we produce the higgs via a fermion...
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