Can the effects of the higgs field be saturated?

[jerich1000]

Velocity through an orifice follows a certain equation until the fluid approaches the speed of sound; magnetic fields obey certain equations until the magnetic material becomes 'saturated'; gasses obey the ideal gas law until the gasses atoms become too close to each other.

There are many examples in science where behavior within a field changes after a 'certain point'.

Is it possible for sufficient mass, such as mass of degenerate matter, to overwhelm the higgs field locally such that surrounding matter is slightly less massive? Or could the interior of a volume of degenerate matter be lighter than expected based on the higgs field being partially soaked up by the outer layers of such matter?

Thanks

 

[LightHero]

for the interesting question! The answer is not quite as straightforward as the other examples you gave. The Higgs field is an important part of the Standard Model of particle physics, and it describes the interactions between particles and their masses. However, the concept of degenerate matter is a bit more complicated. Degenerate matter is a type of matter that is composed of particles that are so closely packed together that they can no longer move around to occupy lower energy states, and so their properties become independent of temperature and pressure. In this state, the particles can't interact directly with the Higgs field, so the Higgs field can't affect the mass of the matter. However, it is possible that the density of the matter can affect the Higgs field. If the matter is dense enough, it may cause a local distortion of the Higgs field, which could in turn cause the masses of surrounding particles to be slightly less than expected. This phenomenon is called the Casimir effect, and has been studied in some detail.