Mass Hierarchy Problem: Solving & Understanding

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SUMMARY

The mass hierarchy problem addresses the significant disparity between the masses of ordinary particles and the Planck mass, which is approximately 13 quintillion times greater than the proton mass. Frank Wilczek's articles in "Physics Today" from 2001 provide speculative insights into this issue, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of fine-tuning and the role of supersymmetry in potential solutions. The discussion highlights the importance of exploring these theoretical frameworks to grasp why particle masses are so small in comparison to the Planck mass.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of particle physics concepts, particularly mass scales.
  • Familiarity with the Planck mass and its significance in theoretical physics.
  • Basic knowledge of supersymmetry and its implications in particle physics.
  • Mathematical proficiency to engage with theoretical conjectures.
NEXT STEPS
  • Read Frank Wilczek's articles titled "Scaling Mount Planck" for insights into the mass hierarchy problem.
  • Research the implications of supersymmetry in particle physics and its role in mass generation.
  • Explore current theories and models addressing the mass hierarchy problem, including string theory.
  • Study fine-tuning arguments in theoretical physics to understand their relevance to mass scales.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for theoretical physicists, advanced students in particle physics, and researchers interested in the mass hierarchy problem and its implications for fundamental physics.

shakeel
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what is mass hierarchy problem.i have some idea of solving this ,i can do lot of mathematics but i want to understand fine tuning,and i want why supersymmetry is preferred to solve mass hierarchy problem
 
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The mass hierarchy problem asks one simple question: Why are the masses of ordinary particles almost negligible compared to the Planck mass? I don't know the answer
 
meteor said:
... Why are the masses of ordinary particles almost negligible compared to the Planck mass? ...

Frank Wilczek had a series of 3 articles in "Physics Today" around 2001
that dealt with that
(only in a speculative way
because it is an unsolved problem
but as he is a majorleague theorist with very broad clear vision
it can still be enlightening to read his opinions
you can learn something although the answer is not known)

I think you can find it by googling Wilczek and the title
"Scaling Mount Planck"

---------------------------

Shakeel, maybe you can tell me something about the mass h. problem.
You may already have made some progress.
Wilczek poses the question of why the Planck mass is a big number (13 quintillion, 13 x 1018) times the proton mass

or why the proton mass is so small in natural units---- 1/(13 quintillion) of the Planck mass.

and he tries to conjecture some explanation for this, but I think without
presuming supersymmetry

do you have some idea of how people now explain this?
 
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