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. K

    I Clarification of Higgs field, Higgs boson and gravitons

    since gravity under GR has unlimited range the graviton must be massless. since the graviton is massless, the higgs field does not couple to the graviton. If the higgs field did couple to gravitons, it would cause gravitons to have mass, contradicting observation. but the higgs field carries...
  2. K

    A Does Peter Woit's solution of Higgs' naturalness problem work?

    Does Peter Woits solution Higgs naturalness problem work? "http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=5667 Conventional wisdom in the particle theory for about 30 years has been that the Standard Model has a huge “hierarchy” or “naturalness” problem, the solution to which is supposed to...
  3. ohwilleke

    I Higgs Boson Mass Trending Down At ICHEP

    The latest measurement of the Higgs boson mass from the ICHEP conference (based upon four lepton events measured by CMS) was 124.5 +0.48/-0.46 GeV. This is less than the current global average of about 125.09 +/- 0.24 GeV, which is statistically consistent with the global average but will...
  4. B

    B Weak fields, higgs fields... forces

    Why is the weak field a force of nature.. while the higgs field is not a force of nature.. what is the signature or things to look for before a field can be considered as a force of nature?
  5. Ranku

    I Instability of the Higgs particle

    In the multiverse paradigm, the Higgs particle is said to be unstable. What does the instability of the Higgs particle mean? Could it spontaneously disappear? What are the conditions for something like that to happen? And what would be the fate of the universe if that were to happen - keeping in...
  6. min_oh

    I Where are the four muons in this picture

    Hi all.It is picture of simulation for higgs decays into four muons. Im wondering which track line is four muon. My guess is four thick yellow line at right-bottom side of the picture cuase it looks energetic. Am i right? Or any other opinion? Thanks alot Min
  7. hsdrop

    B Exploring the Higgs Field in Space-Time

    is the higgs field the same ever wair or does the field thicker and thinner in places like space-time?
  8. scientepid

    I How can you visualize the Higgs field, or can you?

    Just when I thought I had finally wrapped my brain around relativity, Quantum theory took off. Then the Higgs Boson was discovered. How does the Higgs field under-pin relativity, namely space-time? How is the Higgs field distributed? Does it have curvature like space time, or is omnipresent...
  9. Safinaz

    I LHC searchs for charged Higgs scalars

    Hi all, I'd like to know what is the most recent exclusion bounds on the mass of new charged Higgs scalar according to CMS and ATLAS collaborations searches at CERN ..
  10. K

    A Implications of a new 17 Mev vector boson on Higgs, SUSY

    regarding this paper Evidence for a Protophobic Fifth Force from 8Be Nuclear Transitions Jonathan L. Feng, Bartosz Fornal, Iftah Galon, Susan Gardner, Jordan Smolinsky, Tim M. P. Tait, Philip Tanedo (Submitted on 25 Apr 2016) Recently a 6.8σ anomaly has been reported in the opening angle and...
  11. M

    I Processes for Higgs Production from t-tbar

    Hello What possible processes are there for a production of Higgs from t-tbar? Thanks you in advance
  12. putongren

    I Higgs Boson vs Graviton: What's the Difference?

    What's the difference between the Higgs boson and the hypothetical graviton particle? Do they both have to do with the mass of matter? I guess what I'm trying to ask is how are the Higgs particle and the graviton related.
  13. dschwie

    I Higgs particle vs. Higgs field

    Does it make sense to say that the Higgs boson is an excitation in the Higgs field in much the same way that a fermion such as an electron is an excitation in the electromagnetic field? I am trying to understand the difference between the Higgs field, which is everywhere, and the Higgs boson...
  14. L

    I Photons, Higgs -- Mass question

    I am really not sure. I watch Susskind lecture But I am still confused. He sad electron in motion emits photons. Quarks in motion emited gluons. Is that correct? Could quark be in motion? Also why all matter is made on fermions? And does Higgs gave mass to all particles? Why photon after all...
  15. M

    I What Is the Maximum Value for the SM Higgs Quartic Coupling?

    Hi all, I'm little confused about the maximal appropriate value for the SM Higgs quartic coupling and the Higgs mass = 125 GeV. that as ## \lambda =m_h^2 / 2 v^2 \simeq 0.1 ## for ##v = 246 ~ GeV##. But according to the perturbation theory, ##\lambda ## enters into higher order corrections as...
  16. P

    A Where are the Higgs particles?

    I've been reading Jim Baggott's book "Higgs -- The Invention and Discovery of the 'God Particle' "and have a rather elementary question, easily answered, I'm sure, by folk that contribute to this forum: is the Higgs only associated with the inner machinations of other 'elementary' particles, or...
  17. A

    I The Higgs and virtual particles

    I have been reading the Quantum Diaries here http://www.quantumdiaries.org/2011/03/25/an-idiosyncratic-introduction-to-the-higgs/ and in discussing the Higgs and the LHC experiment he says "The general problem is this: at the LHC, we’re smashing protons into one another. The protons are each...
  18. C

    I Is the Higgs Field a new form of an old idea?

    The Higgs mechanism requires a quantum field (the Higgs Field) to permeate all space. This field has been added to the Standard Model. Is the Higgs field a "new form" of an old idea (the eather)?
  19. KarminValso1724

    B How were the properties of the Higgs boson accuratly predicted?

    What I mean by this is how were the laws of quantum mechanics used to predict that the higgs boson would decay into 2 photons or 4 electrons. I understand that the higgs boson transmits the higgs field, but why would a particle that transmits the higgs field have to decay in that wayand not some...
  20. J

    The Higgs Mass and the Many worlds interpretation

    I have a question about the Many worlds interpretation. Does the observed mass of the Higgs boson suggest that the many worlds interpretation is incorrect, as the mass falls smack in the middle of the predicted values of both supersymmetry and multiverse interpretations of the standard model of...
  21. Peter25samaha

    A Can Theoretical Physicists Discover New Aspects of the Higgs Boson?

    What can a theoretical physicist discover something new about the higgs boson . This is for experimentalist but can a theoretical physicist discover anything new about the higgs boson ? And what peter higgs discovered other than detected it . He is a theoretical physicist did he wrote a new...
  22. C

    Higgs Mechanism and Lorentz transformation of currents

    Homework Statement Consider the Higgs mechanism lagrangian, $$\mathcal L = (D_{\mu} \phi)^* (D^{\mu} \phi) -\mu^2 (\phi^* \phi) - \lambda (\phi^* \phi)^2 - \frac{1}{4}F_{\mu \nu}F^{\mu \nu},$$ with ##F_{\mu \nu} = \partial_{\mu} A_{\nu} - \partial_{\nu} A_{\mu}## and ##D_{\mu} = \partial_{\mu}...
  23. C

    B What is the shape and orientation os the Higgs field?

    Greetings, Other fields are curved around particles and objects. The Higgs field permeates all of space. What is the shape of the Higgs field lines? Is it parallel lines? Or a grid of perpendicular lines? Is it curved? What is the orientation? What determined the orientation? Thanks
  24. C

    B Does the Higgs boson only exist when created in LHC?

    Greetings, I have read seemingly contradictory things regarding the Higgs boson: that they permeate all of space and that it was created at extremely high energies in the LHC. I just heard a scientist say the Higgs field is full of HIggs bosons. So does the Higgs boson occur naturally or not...
  25. J

    I Is the Higgs Field Solely Responsible for Imparting Mass to Particles?

    I am trying to understand the Higgs field. I understand that mass and charge are measurable characteristics of particles. I have read that the concept of the Higgs field was to explain how particles have mass. The Higgs field supposedly "imparts" mass to particles which would not have mass if...
  26. E

    I Monopole Creation and Higgs Field

    Please consider this statement from Alan Guth (from his book "The Inflationary Universe"). The context is the creation of magnetic monopoles: The monopoles, therefore, are the surviving remnants of the chaos in the Higgs fields immediately after the phase transition. Guth then goes on to...
  27. Dr. Manoj

    B Is Higgs field present everywhere?

    I've doubt. I read on Wikipedia that, higgs field is thought to be present everywhere in universe. Is it even present by my side? If yes why am I not gaining mass. Please clear my doubts!
  28. Natskyge

    How can the Higgs boson have mass?

    So this may be just me being stupid. Anyway, so i was reading about the higgs and i read it has been found in LHC to have a mass of 125 Gev, according to their expriments. Now here comes what i don't understand, how can the particle that gives mass have mass, and wouldn't that cause the higgs...
  29. J

    A Higgs Expectation Value with Classical vs Quantum Potential

    I'm having a hard time following the arguments of how the Higgs gives mass in the Standard Model. In particular, the textbook by Srednicki gives the Higgs potential as: $$V(\phi)=\frac{\lambda}{4}(\phi^\dagger \phi-\frac{1}{2}\nu^2)^2 $$ and states that because of this, $$\langle 0 | \phi(x)...
  30. arupel

    The Higgs Boson and General Relativity

    "The presence of this field, now believed to be confirmed, explains why some fundamental particles have mass when based on the symmetries controlling their interactions they should be massless." (wiki) It would seem, to myself, a novice, that the Higgs field and its corresponding particle, if...
  31. Safinaz

    Higgs production cross section

    Hi all, I try to find the exact calculated gluon- gluon fusion cross section for the SM- Higgs with mass 125 GeV, for instance at CME = 14 TeV. I found on twiki page: " https://twiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/LHCPhysics/CERNYellowReportPageAt1314TeV#s_14_0_TeV " ##\sigma(gg \to h) = 49.47~ pb##...
  32. Safinaz

    Loop correction for quartic Higgs coupling

    Hi all, Has anyone an idea about the loop correction for quartic Higss coupling? In [arXiv:1507.03618v2 [hep-ph]], equ. (13) it's pointed out that the perturbativity constrains on the quartic couplings in the Higgs potential is ## \lambda^2 < 16 \pi^2 ## Which means that loop factor is ##...
  33. K

    Can Higgs be the inflaton - can LHC produce an inflaton 750

    could the higgs boson be the inflaton 126gev if not could the possible 750gev diphoton be the inflaton? what are the properties of the inflaton? could inflaton be scalar dark matter?
  34. S

    Total significance Higgs discovery at 7+8TeV LHC

    HI guys, a quick question. After the announcement of the discovery of the higgs-like resonance in July 2012 with ~5sigma significance by both ATLAS and CMS, what is the current p-value distribution with the full data set taken into account? And therefore, what is the total significance reached...
  35. E

    Why must the Higgs' gauge symmetry be broken?

    The part I understand: I understand that the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the Higgs produces the 'Mexican hat' potential, with two non-zero stable equilibria. I understand that as the Higgs is a complex field, there exists a phase component of the field. Under gauge transformations of...
  36. Ryan Reed

    Do Electrons need Energy to Excite the EM field?

    Electrons have both mass and electromagnetic charge, so why is it that an electron's rest energy is equal to its mass energy with E=mc^2? Shouldn't it have some energy left over to excite the electromagnetic field? The mass energy excites the Higgs field, so why is there no energy for the EM field?
  37. Q

    Higgs Boson Decays into Dark MAtter

    I recently read this article about how the Higgs Boson could decay into Dark Matter particles. Why is this not being taken seriously, there must be something, and I am not a physicist, just a ninth grade student, so why is this either a good theory or bad theory? Thanks in advance! Here is the...
  38. K

    Is the Higgs mechanism a gauge transformation or not?

    I asked this question to PhysicsStackExchange too but to no avail so far. I'm trying to understand the way that the Higgs Mechanism is applied in the context of a U(1) symmetry breaking scenario, meaning that I have a Higgs complex field \phi=e^{i\xi}\frac{\left(\rho+v\right)}{\sqrt{2}} and...
  39. T

    Is the higgs field the same as spacetime foam?

    if not, what is it?
  40. K

    How can an eL become an eR by interacting with the Higgs?

    there is a very similar-old thread about this https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/changing-the-chirality-of-fermions-in-interactions-with-higgs.686900/ in the yukawa interaction of the higgs vev (h0), the eL absorbs the higgs boson and becomes a eR which doesn't make sense to me since it...
  41. anorlunda

    Is the Higgs Field an Exception to Energy Being Merely a Property?

    In a recent thread, https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/is-energy-convertible-to-matter.692986/#post-5262460 PF mentor Dalespam said, "Energy is a property, not a "thing" Then Dalespam said, "You can convert things with energy (e.g. a pair of photons) into other things with energy (e.g...
  42. onion3000

    Does Absolute Zero Equal Zero Weight?

    If interactions with the Higgs field make something have more mass, and if movement creates interactions with the field, then wouldn't something at absolute zero have no weight (zero speed, so no interaction with the Higgs field)?
  43. K

    Scalar interactions amd chirality

    why do scalar interactions(for example the higgs vev or its components) reverse the chirality of the interacting particle?? i think this is the key for understanding the mass generation of fermions, but i can't think of a logical reason of the reversed chirality.
  44. D

    Higgs vs Graviton: Causes of Mass & Gravity

    Forums relating to this have been up constantly, but just to clarify, they are not one and the same, to the best of my knowledge. Higgs causes mass, Graviton causes gravity. Higgs has an influence on the graviton, if you think about it. The Higgs boson causes mass which in turn is affected by a...
  45. Eli137

    Mass of Higgs Boson: 125 GeV: How Do Particles Create Mass?

    As you may know, the mass of the Higgs Boson is 125 GeV. My question is, "How can the particles themselves that create mass by interacting with others have mass?"
  46. P

    Higgs cyclic model from Steinhardt, Turok, Bars

    Its been suggested that the metastibility of the Higgs may lead to a new cyclic cosmology to replace inflation. http://arxiv.org/abs/1307.8106 Can anyone give a layman's guide to how this works and they propose to solve the problems of the big bang that inflation is supposed to solve: flatness...
  47. H

    No problem, happy to help! Enjoy your vacation!

    I have been going through chapter 2 of Sakurai; the 1967 edition. Chapter 2 gets into the self energy of the electron, the concept of the bare mass of the electron, and vacuum fluctuations. Would these same concepts (self energy, bare mass, and vacuum fluctuations) apply to a scalar field (e g...
  48. H

    Scalar fields and the Higgs boson

    This is more of a QFT question, so the moderator may want to move it to another forum. The simplest example of a QFT that I learned was the scalar field; in Sakurai's 1967 textbook. I know the Higgs is a J=0 particle. Is it described by the simple scalar field discussed in Sakurai's text? I ask...
  49. 1

    Wait.... what causes gravity again?

    last week, I've just gone through and reviewed myself with general relativity, and am confused, but in a good way; but this time, i had spaces to question it so... what causes gravity again? cuz apperently, mass causes gravity, which curves spacetime, but gravity causes mass to exist...
  50. arivero

    I Higgs and Nuclear Yields: amusing coincidence.

    I sincerely hope that the LHC people are measuring the real thing and not a leak of uranium somewhere. This is the plot of nuclear yields for spontaneous fission, extracted from wikipedia. The horizontal axis is atomic mass number and we can use 1 amu = 931.49 GeV. Some of you can remember that...
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