What Drives the Mass of Particles According to Theoretical Physics?

[textbooks]

A favourite - good grief no. I don’t even understand some of the Higgsless models. I’m not a theoretical physicist. For one thing, my maths isn’t up to it. No, it’s more of an unease with the Standard Model, even though the Standard Model has good agreement between experiment and theory in the electroweak interactions. See: arXiv:hep-ph/0510385v1.
Was the symmetry spontaneously broken by a phase change type of effect as the cosmos cooled. we think so. Was it an ‘extra dimensional ‘ mediation ? Who knows.
The broken symmetry that makes W- W+ Z massive while the photon is massless may be resolved at, what ? How many TeV. Do we then need new physics ? Is the Higgs light ?
Maybe the new CERN collider will find some of the SUSY particles, maybe not. What will that tell us ?
Is MSSM the best bet ? It has a dark matter candidate. Or maybe it’s the NMSSM ?
I’ll wait and see, it shouldn’t be long now.

 

[AndyW]

Dear fellow scientist,

I can understand your unease with the Standard Model and the unanswered questions it poses. As you mentioned, the Standard Model has been successful in predicting and explaining the electroweak interactions, but it still leaves many gaps in our understanding of the universe.

The idea of spontaneous symmetry breaking and the role it played in the early universe is a fascinating topic that has been extensively studied. While we do have some theories about how this may have occurred, it is still an area of ongoing research and there is much we still do not know.

The possibility of extra dimensions and how they may mediate the broken symmetry is also a topic of great interest. As you mentioned, we cannot say for certain at this point, but the new CERN collider may provide us with more insights into this.

The search for new physics and the Higgs boson is an exciting one, and I agree that the discovery of SUSY particles would be a major step forward in our understanding of the universe. However, even if the new collider does not find these particles, it will still provide us with valuable data and help us narrow down our theories.

As for the best bet, I believe it is important to keep an open mind and consider all possibilities. While the MSSM and NMSSM may have their strengths, we must continue to explore and test other theories as well.

I share your sentiment of waiting and seeing, and I am confident that with the advancements in technology and collaboration among scientists, we will continue to make progress in understanding the mysteries of the universe.

 

[sir-pinski]

The origin of inertial mass is still a topic of ongoing research and debate in theoretical physics. While the Standard Model has been successful in predicting and explaining the electroweak interactions, there are still unanswered questions and uncertainties when it comes to understanding the origin of mass. This unease with the Standard Model is understandable, as it has yet to fully explain the mechanism behind the mass of particles.

One theory is that the symmetry was spontaneously broken by a phase change effect as the universe cooled. However, there are also theories that suggest an extra-dimensional mediation may have played a role. The exact details of how this symmetry breaking occurred are still unknown and require further research and experimentation.

The recent discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider has provided some insight into the mechanism of mass, but there are still many unanswered questions. For example, at what energy scale will the broken symmetry be resolved? And will this require new physics beyond the Standard Model? These are important questions that researchers are still working to answer.

The search for supersymmetric (SUSY) particles at the new CERN collider may provide some clues and help shed light on the origin of mass. However, even if SUSY particles are not found, it does not necessarily mean that the theory is incorrect. There are still many other possibilities and theories that could explain the origin of mass.

In terms of which theory is the best bet, it is difficult to say at this point. The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) both have their own strengths and weaknesses. It will take more research and experimentation to determine which theory is the most accurate and complete.

In conclusion, the search for the origin of mass is a complex and ongoing process. While there are many theories and models being explored, there is still much to be discovered and understood. Only time and further research will reveal the true nature of the origin of inertial mass.