jhmar said:
Now I can point out that the same (mathematical) statement can be made in classical theory. What QT explains using waves and quantum, classical theory can explain using force fields. Where QT uses multiples of a single particle (photon) classical theory can use condensations of a single force field (graviton).
Yes, I know that there are people trying to make such a thing work, they are called "local realists", because they think (rightly or wrongly) that classical, local field theory with nonlinearities can solve many issues that are also addressed by quantum field theory. What is already known is that, if such a field theory is going to respect locality, it will NOT be able to be entirely empirically equivalent to quantum field theory, because of a property of quantum field theory (every quantum theory) which is NOT possible to find agreement with in a classical field theory, and that is quantum entanglement. Bell's theorem indicates clearly that both are not compatible. Up to experiment to decide - up to now, there are serious indications that entanglement seems to exist, but it is also correct that there is no exclusive experimental proof, and there is still a possibility to explain the results without entanglement. At least, in principle, because to my knowledge, there DOESN'T EXIST yet an all-comprehensive local-realist working theory. There exist at best, some specific local realist models for certain branches of physics, such as stochastic electrodynamics.
So I don't worry, because we are talking about two different theories (classical field theory and quantum field theory) which are, at least in principle, experimentally distinguishable, so one day or another, this issue will be adressed for good, once we have (from the local realists) a complete theory which can make as many predictions as can quantum theory, and once we will have performed the relevant experiments that distinguish both.
In the mean time, and on this forum, we take quantum theory to be the correct one, as a working hypothesis, because that's the topic of this forum.
There is still a fundamental difference between QT and classical in that QT expects the Higgs particle to be the ultimate particle, whereas there is no end to the classical condensing cycle, you just need more powerful machines (the graviton being the only true elementary particle or force field).
I think you're misunderstanding the standard model here. First of all, know that the standard model is only that, a model. In the standard model, the particles all have a different, fundamental, field associated to them ; electrons, for instance, are just as fundamental as the elusive Higgs. The Higgs field is just something that was mathematically needed to make the whole model work, and so is another quantum field, to which one associates another quantum, or particle. It is certainly not more fundamental than the electron, for instance. It might even be LESS fundamental, or simply not exist. That will then only say that the *specific model* which we call the standard model, has a problem. That does not necessarily mean that the whole structure of quantum field theory has a problem.
To give you an equivalent: take it, say, that we have a model which states Coulomb's law as the force law between charged particles. And now, observe that Coulomb's law is not exactly followed (namely, because of magnetic effects). Does that invalidate immediately the Newtonian framework of particles, and forces working on them ? I don't think so ; I think it only indicates that there is something wrong with Coulomb's law.