Polyrhythmic said:The Higgs particle is a scalar field which through the mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking allows other particles like gauge bosons to have masses. Gauge bosons show up due to required gauge symmetries of the lagrangian. What kind of distinction are you looking for?
The concept of virtual particles arises in the perturbation theory of quantum field theory, an approximation scheme in which interactions (essentially forces) between real particles are calculated in terms of exchanges of virtual particles. Any process involving virtual particles admits a schematic representation known as a Feynman diagram which facilitates the understanding of calculations.
The Higgs field is a theoretical concept in particle physics that is responsible for giving particles their mass. It is a fundamental field that permeates throughout the entire universe.
The Higgs field is unique in that it is a scalar field, meaning it has no direction or spin. This is in contrast to other fields, such as the electromagnetic field, which are vector fields. Additionally, the Higgs field is the only known field that gives rise to the Higgs boson, which is the particle associated with the Higgs field.
The Higgs field is a crucial component of the Standard Model, which is the most widely accepted theory of particle physics. It is responsible for giving particles their mass and is also involved in the process of electroweak symmetry breaking, which explains the difference between the weak and electromagnetic forces.
Virtual particles are not considered "real" particles in the traditional sense. They are fluctuations in quantum fields that can briefly appear and disappear. These fluctuations can have measurable effects, but they do not have the same properties as regular particles.
The Higgs field interacts with other fields through a process called the Higgs mechanism. This mechanism involves the Higgs field interacting with other fields and giving them mass. The strength of this interaction is determined by the coupling constants of each field, which can vary for different particles.