Higgs mass from electroweak measurements

[JustinLevy]

I've seen the value 129^{+74}_{-49} GeV/c^2 mentioned in some discussion and wikipedia as a prediction of the higgs mass from electroweak measurements. Are the largest contributions to the error bars statistical in nature, and is is likely that the LHC can greatly increase precision of this prediction (before potentially detecting it, which of course would make this moot)?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Unlikely.

The Higgs constraint comes from electroweak radiative corrections on the W mass, which are quadratic in the top mass and logarithmic in the Higgs mass. A more precise top mass requires additional theoretical work: the (unknown) corrections to get from the measured mass to the proper parameter in the theory are as large or larger as the experimental uncertainty now. A more precise W mass requires better understanding of the strange and charm content of the proton.

Both of these will get sorted out eventually, but probably not in the next 2 years.

 

[baxishta]

please forgive me if this is an elementary question, but is there a generally accepted definition of mass? i don't mean in the context of other considerations, but just as an intrinsic property. maybe another way to ask is, is there such a thing as mass which is not another name for energy, or are the two so connected that they are the same construct?