Any Practical, Daily Uses for Higgs Field?

[Wade888]

Any "Practical," Daily Uses for Higgs Field?

First of all, my knowledge of the Higgs is limited to pretty much "Science" channel plus scientific related articles on the internet, so forgive any ignorance or misunderstandings.


I am interested in potential future applications for the Higgs Field and/or Higgs Particle. Ideas that seemed relevant:

1, Starship propulsion.

2, Energy Extraction and transfer (similar to how we use Magnetism or Solar panels).

3, Other forms of Direct "Work" such as lifting or levitating, etc.

4, Exotic materials, perhaps beyond elementary matter.


Are there any theories or proposals of how to one day use the Higgs in any of these types of applications?


Obviously, the premise here is that we as humans have ultimately found a way to harness and use almost every other particle or wave we have discovered, therefore it would seem there is no reason we couldn't do the same with the Higgs.

If I am wrong, please explain why, and don't be afraid to put mathematical equations as needed too.


If some of this is deemed theoretically possible, at least "on paper," then where might we start in developing these technologies?


Thanks to anyone who responds in the interest of civility and furthering knowledge.

-Wade

 

[mfb]

I am interested in potential future applications for the Higgs Field and/or Higgs Particle. Ideas that seemed relevant:

1, Starship propulsion.

2, Energy Extraction and transfer (similar to how we use Magnetism or Solar panels).

3, Other forms of Direct "Work" such as lifting or levitating, etc.

4, Exotic materials, perhaps beyond elementary matter.


Are there any theories or proposals of how to one day use the Higgs in any of these types of applications?

No. I am not aware of any proposed applications of anything related to the Higgs boson or Higgs mechanism. Unless you count "use the mass of objects" as application...

Obviously, the premise here is that we as humans have ultimately found a way to harness and use almost every other particle or wave we have discovered, therefore it would seem there is no reason we couldn't do the same with the Higgs.

Many discovered particles have no applications today. We use protons, neutrons amd electrons as particles, some special applications use positrons and muons, and photons (electromagnetic waves, light and so on) are used, of course. Apart from that, there is no real application of other particles. Our universe would look completely different if they would not exist, but I guess that does not count as "application".

 

[phinds]

I agree w/ mfb. The only "practical" aspect of the Higgs is that it allows us to exist. How much more practical can you get

 

[ZapperZ]

In addition to that:

http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/december-2008/editorial-the-benefits-of-particle-physics

The Higgs (or rather, the broken symmetry in the weak interaction) was to confirm a vital part of the Standard Model of elementary particles. It wasn't done for "application". It was done for basic knowledge.

But as we have seen throughout history, there are many things that started off as having no application, and purely for knowledge, that eventually evolved into practical applications that we now can't live without.

Zz.

 

[Wade888]

Okay, can you be more specific/technical?

Electrons allow us to exist as well, but we use them in far more than just "existing".

if we can create and detect a particle responsible for the mass of matter, then shouldn't we be able to manipulate it?

If you can convert energy to a Higgs particle, shouldn't you be able to convert the particle, or field, to other forms of energy?

I'm not talking about perpetual motion or psuedo science. I mean the way we do nuclear and chemical applications of other materials.

Thanks.

 

[ZapperZ]

Okay, can you be more specific/technical?

Electrons allow us to exist as well, but we use them in far more than just "existing".

if we can create and detect a particle responsible for the mass of matter, then shouldn't we be able to manipulate it?

If you can convert energy to a Higgs particle, shouldn't you be able to convert the particle, or field, to other forms of energy?

I'm not talking about perpetual motion or psuedo science. I mean the way we do nuclear and chemical applications of other materials.

Thanks.

No one is striking out the possibility that maybe, sometime in the future, when we know A LOT MORE, these things will be used in some ways. But that will require a lot more new physics and new understanding, something we currently do not have yet. So if you are asking NOW, based on our current physics, then we do not have any means yet!

We do not speculate beyond what we know, based on some yet-to-be-discovered physics, on this forum.

Zz.

 

[mfb]

if we can create and detect a particle responsible for the mass of matter, then shouldn't we be able to manipulate it?

It decays within 10^-21 seconds. There is no known way to "use" it in that timescale.

If you can convert energy to a Higgs particle, shouldn't you be able to convert the particle, or field, to other forms of energy?

You can spend something like 1,000,000,000 J to collide protons to get a lot of other particles, together with a few Higgs particles with an average energy of 0.0000001 J each, those decay to other particles with the same total energy. No, that is not useful.

 

[Wade888]

Thank you for your replies.

Of course I also realize existing particle accelerator technology would not at all be practical for the generation of particles intended for energy production or transport. I was speaking more ore less conceptually, but leaning towards practicality. I wasn't necessarily concerned with it being in the next year or decade.

Thanks anyway, for giving level-headed responses.

 

[Devils]

In addition to that:

But as we have seen throughout history, there are many things that started off as having no application, and purely for knowledge, that eventually evolved into practical applications that we now can't live without.

Zz.

Take the radon transform.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon_transform
"In mathematics, the Radon transform in two dimensions, named after the Austrian mathematician Johann Radon, is the integral transform consisting of the integral of a function over straight lines. The transform was introduced by Johann Radon (1917), who also provided a formula for the inverse transform."

This transform is used in applications from medical imaging to barcode scanners, things that would be beyond the realm of fantasy in 1917.

 

[.Scott]

The Higgs Field is believed to be unstable and might be prone to collapse or transition at any moment - taking the current form of the universe with it.

Perhaps some would see a practical use for that revelation.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/a...higgs-boson-might-spell-doom-for-the-universe

 

[ZapperZ]

The Higgs Field is believed to be unstable and might be prone to collapse or transition at any moment - taking the current form of the universe with it.

Perhaps some would see a practical use for that revelation.

Such as what? Starting a new religious cult?

You have an extremely broad definition of "practical use".

Zz.