What is Higgs: Definition and 682 Discussions

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. C

    Why was the LHC required to find the Higgs?

    If the Higgs is around 126 GeV, why was the LHC required to find it, when the Tevatron is capable of 1 TeV collisions and had already found the top quark which is quite a bit heavier? Is this because of something special about proton-proton collisions? Thanks! PS Please don't say "they did...
  2. Z

    Uncovering the Mystery: Higgs Decay Modes and the Weight Paradox

    Under the Higgs in wiki it says "Another possibility is for the Higgs to split into a pair of massive gauge bosons. The most likely possibility is for the Higgs to decay into a pair of W bosons (the light blue line in the plot), which happens about 23.1% of the time for a Higgs boson with a mass...
  3. M

    Frampton & Hung's Higgs mass ansatz

    http://arxiv.org/abs/1310.3904 A Possible Reason for MH ≃ 126 GeV Paul H. Frampton, Pham Q. Hung (Submitted on 15 Oct 2013) It is speculated that a possible reason for the scalar mass MH ≃ 126 GeV is equality of the lifetimes for vacuum decay and instanton-induced proton decay.
  4. M

    The homogeneous strength of the Higgs field

    Dear Physics Forum, As I understand it, the Higgs field is a quantum field that stretches throughout our universe. Particles that carry mass (for example protons and electrons) acquire this property by interacting with the (local) Higgs field. I assume this interaction can be written in the...
  5. K

    Higgs boson's mechanism for giving mass?

    What is the Higgs boson's mechanism for giving mass?
  6. L

    Which interaction does the Higgs field rely on?

    Dear Physics Forum, can anyone tell me which of the fundamental interactions is involved in the Higgs Field? Or is it a new and unique type of interaction apart from the fundamental 4?
  7. C

    Did the Higgs Boson boost undergraduate physics enrollment?

    I am writing about some crazy hypothesis I have about the impact the quest for the Higgs Boson, thereafter designated as HB, might have had on the number of people who declared physics majors during the years following its discovery. The preliminary data I have concerns two universities in my...
  8. F

    Higgs Mechanism, how does it work?

    I'm not sure this thread belongs in this forum since we have now discovered a Higgs like boson. But I'm trying to get a better understanding of how the Higgs mechanism works. Let me share what I think I know, and you tell me how far off I am. Particles gain mass as they travel through the...
  9. Safinaz

    Why Does Higgs Production Cross Section Calculation Differ from Expected Values?

    Hi all, I try to calculate the Higgs production cross section by Mathematica using for example the formula in [arXiv:hep-ph/0503172]. The problem comes when I calculate " σ_0 " it's of order 10^-10 pb at mh = 125 GeV ( 3.57), then when I convolute with the parton distribution function to get...
  10. M

    Supersymmetry vs minimalism: what is the Higgs mass telling us?

    We have had several threads that discuss the 2009 prediction of the Higgs boson mass by Shaposhnikov and Wetterich, which used the assumption that quantum gravity is "asymptotically safe". But it's also true that the observed value is within a range predicted by some orthodox supersymmetric...
  11. E

    Can Higgs experiment give other new particles

    The Higgs experiment was intended to discover Higgs boson. But, can measurement data give any other new elementary particles? Or, are the measurements so specific, that other particles cannot be seen?
  12. DennisN

    Particle Fever: Exploring the Search for the Higgs Boson

    There's a recent (released?) documentary called "Particle Fever" about the search for the Higgs boson. I'm not sure if it's been released yet. Has anyone seen it yet? Some info: Particle Fever editor Walter Murch: 'The Higgs boson is kind of a MacGuffin' David Kaplan Explains why the...
  13. lonewolf219

    Higgs potential and fluctuations about the vacuum

    Hello! I was hoping somebody may be able to help me understand something much beyond the physics I have learned so far. I need to complete an assignment that I believe is asking me to find the Higgs potential function? 1. My professor mentioned the following: minimization at the origin...
  14. J

    Exploring the Possibilities: Higgs Boson Interactions and Energy Release

    I'm not very good at physics but please forgive me. What will hapen now when we found the higgs boson: I have a proposition i don't know if it is posible but if someone can help and explain to me i will be greatiful. Is it possible that now when thay found the higgs to do the same like the...
  15. Q

    Was the mass of the Higgs given at 125.8?

    Hi Everyone. In the Resonaances blog, I recall that it was mentioned there that the particle physics group at CERN had made an updated statement of the mass of the Higgs as being 125.8. When I look at the Resonaances blog I cannot find reference to this statement and they are only now...
  16. T

    What is the relationship between scalar fields and tensor fields?

    I've PMd some of you with this question, but I got some conflicting replies or no replies at all lol, so I'm posting it here. I also did a Google search and found this which I'm almost sure answers my question, but I just want to confirm with you guys: ''In general, scalar fields are referred...
  17. T

    Is the higgs boson necessary for particles to exist.

    why without the higgs boson, would particle physics be nonsense. why does this particle have such an important impact on particle physics. is this why it was called the god particle? its existence is unquestionably but no one had ever seen it. I bet when they discovered it the pa's were like...
  18. P

    Why is the Higgs field a scalar field?

    as i understand it the higgs field is a spin-0 scalar field that gives mass to elementry particles. How is it a scalar field? I thought it was homogenous.
  19. P

    Exploring the Higgs Field: Tachyonic Behavior at Critical Temperatures

    the wiki article on the higgs mechanism says "at a critical temprature the higgs field becomes tachyonic". Does it? If so what temprature? And how can a field be taychonic? Thanks in advance.
  20. T

    Changing the chirality of fermions in interactions with Higgs

    Am i correct when i say that the fermions get a mass and interaction term with the Higgs from the SU(2)_{L}\times U(1)_{Y} invariant Yukawa interaction -g_{y}\bar\psi_{L}\phi\psi_{R} - g_{y}\bar\psi_{R}\bar\phi\psi_{L} where \psi is the fermion field and \phi the Higgs field. My...
  21. S

    Does mass bend the Higgs field as well?

    We know that - mass bends space-time - this is known as gravity We also know that - (interaction with) Higgs fields gives mass to particles Does mass/gravity bend the Higgs field as well?
  22. J

    How does the Higgs field affect particles at normal energy levels?

    I admit I am pretty much completely baffled by the concept of an additional particle being required to "give" other particles mass, but I would like to ask a simple question. given the extremely large amount of energy required to generate a higgs boson, how can such a particle come into play...
  23. Safinaz

    Higgs decay loop function

    Hi all, Has anyone know how to calculate the loop function of Higgs decay to photons/ gluons by t quark , or a useful reference. Cheers, Safinaz
  24. D

    What are the implications of supersymmetry for the Higgs boson and its mass?

    Hello all, How is it that super symmetry accounts for the Higgs having a mass and what would the 4 remaining Higgs bosons account for?
  25. L

    Vortices - differentiation of the field in abelian Higgs

    In Zee's "Nutshell QFT" (chapter V.7) or Shifman's book "Avanced Topics in QFT" (section 10) when they talk about vortices, they claim: if \phi(r,\theta) goes to \nuexp( i\theta) as r goes to infinity then \partial_{i}\phi becomes \nu(1/r) I do not see how? Is the phase equal to 1/r if r...
  26. L

    Higgs mechanism and vacuum instability

    Does the shape of the Higgs potential change if the energy of the vacuum changes? According to Wikipedia, If a more stable vacuum state were able to arise, then existing particles and forces would no longer arise as they presently do. Different particles or forces would arise from (and be...
  27. S

    What does it mean, The Higgs boson is an excitation of the higgs field

    How come Higgs Bosons have mass if Higgs field itself gives other thin How come Higgs Bosons have mass if Higgs field itself gives other thing their mass?
  28. B

    Higgs, neutrinos, and standard model status

    I've always understood that the "formula" for the Standard Model is SU(3) × SU(2) × U(1). Since the discovery of the Higgs boson, and observations of neutrino flavor oscillations, has that formula been revised, or is it still the same?
  29. R

    Trouble with Wick rotation in 1+1d abelian Higgs model

    When solving for instanton solutions in a 1+1d abelian Higgs model, it's convenient to work in Euclidean space using the substitution x^0 \rightarrow -ix_4^E,\quad x^1 \rightarrow x_1^E The corresponding substitution for the covariant derivative is D^0 \rightarrow iD_4^E,\quad D^1 \rightarrow...
  30. M

    Exploring Higgs Inflation After Moriond & Planck

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  31. bcrowell

    Why Higgs produces different masses for electron and muon

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  32. Beer w/Straw

    Exploring the Higgs Boson: Understanding its Importance and Implications

    Hi, I haven't been following the search for the higgs boson and what it could actually mean to our understanding of the physical universe. The only fleeting thought I had was that if it gives mass to matter, it can lead to an understanding of gravity on an intrinsic level. Instead of...
  33. Z

    Higgs Boson vs GR's Spacetime: Is Mass Effect Obsolete?

    i was just reading a article that said that if the higgs boson is proven for fact, then the concept of the mass effect (spacetime pressure and curvature) would be obsolete. Is this true? i spent so much time teaching my self about SR and GR.
  34. Demystifier

    Confirmed: Higgs Particle Discovered at CERN

    http://arxiv.org/abs/1303.1812 It seems that the recently discovered particle is indeed Higgs, as has been suspected.
  35. P

    Higgs - interactions and forces; distinction between these?

    Higgs --- interactions and forces; distinction between these? At the moment I'm reading Lisa Randall's Knocking at Heavens Door, and I have a quick question that can no doubt be easily answered. I've often read and accept that there are four forces of Nature: Strong, Electromagnetic (EM)...
  36. Drakkith

    New results indicate that new particle is a Higgs boson

    This was released today so I'm not sure if most have seen it yet. It appears that "a" Higgs Boson is confirmed. http://home.web.cern.ch/about/updates/2013/03/new-results-indicate-new-particle-higgs-boson
  37. N

    Why did we search for higgs boson when we knew it couldn't be useful?

    Firstly, thank you all for creating this forum, thank you all for tolerating my questions. As an expert in another subject, I know it's not easy to take time out of one's schedule to answer the questions of non-experts, and I am grateful that you guys have. That said, this question is a...
  38. P

    Explanation of quadratic divergence in higgs mechanism

    Hi can anyone explain what a quadratic divergence is? and if so how it effects the mass of the scalar field i.e why m^2 = m^2_{0} + \delta m^2, why are these things squared? Also how would this divergence affect the standard model as a natural concept, because from reading books it would...
  39. J

    Is spin one still possible for the Higgs?

    I seem remember hearing that spin-1 was ruled out but since reading this paper I am unable to find any info on spin-1 Higgs. Has there been any further developments on this? Honestly, I am not a particle guy so I'm not sure on the details... can someone explain why Higgs' particle has to have...
  40. bcrowell

    Is the Higgs Mass Linked to Vacuum Instability?

    Various news outlets are reporting a AAAS talk by Joe Lykken which appears to be about vacuum instability based on the mass of the Higgs. Frustratingly, there appears to be no info on the web apart from these crap popularizations. Can anyone provide any insight? The best info I have is the...
  41. B

    Is Higgs boson exactly energy ?

    Is Higgs boson a form of energy ? Hello all . We know Higgs boson or Higgs particle is a theoretical elementary particle and in the Standard Model, the Higgs particle is a boson with no spin, electric charge, or color charge and it just has mass . So what's the problem when we say they are...
  42. P

    Vacuum stability bound on higgs mass

    Hi I have been working through and want to plot the graph (fig1.2) on page 10 also found here http://www.amazon.com/dp/0198509545/?tag=pfamazon01-20 or here http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-ph/0003170v1.pdf I have worked through and got the formula for the triviality bound and that is fine and got...
  43. J

    Higgs Boson = Universe is False Vacuum?

    http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/18/17006552-will-our-universe-end-in-a-big-slurp-higgs-like-particle-suggests-it-might?lite There are several news sites saying the discovery of the higgs boson indicates that the universe is a 'false vacuum' but they're very light on the details...
  44. D

    Higgs or Einstein: who describes mass/inertia comprehensively?

    A major part of the takeaway buzz in the popular press—and by a lot of authorities quoted it seemed—was that the Higgs boson/mechanism explained mass (and inertia). I was quite impressed by this fundamental mystery being solved and mentioned it to a prof and he said did not: mass and inertia...
  45. B

    Is the Higgs Boson the Key to Understanding Particle Travel Velocity?

    Hello all . If there is not higgs boson that mean all elementary particle travel velocity of light through space ?
  46. J

    Questions about the higgs boson.

    These are things about the higgs boson that am confused with: 1: how does particle physics explain the weakness of gravity, since higgs is just another force carrier like any other, why is it so weak? 2: how do virtual bosons, popping in and out of existence, exchange between two particles...
  47. T

    Exploring the Debate: Graviton vs Higgs Boson and the Origin of Gravity

    How can we propose the existence of a massless graviton when the recent discovery of the higgs boson means that there is a Higgs field that endows everything with mass? Doesn't the higgs field disprove the graviton? In that case, we would now have no idea where gravity fundamentally comes from...
  48. Q

    Quantitative Measurements for the Higgs Boson

    Hi everyone and happy New Year. The Standard Model shows very specific and measurable couplings of the Higgs boson with the W and Z fields. What QUANTITATIVE measurements have been done to verify that these couplings are as predicted? Thanks and looking forward to your replies. A lot of...
  49. 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...
  50. 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...
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