What is the relationship between the Higgs boson and gravity?

In summary: But the mass of a nucleon comes almost entirely from the kinetic energy of the gluons within it, not the rest mass of the quarks.In summary, the Higgs mechanism is what permits particles to have mass in a way that does not violate gauge invariance. The Higgs mechanism is determined by the Higgs field and mediated by the Higgs boson. The Higgs boson has a mass due to its nonlinear self-interaction and has a short lifetime of 10-25 seconds. The gravitational field is coupled to the stress-energy tensor, which includes not just mass but also energy, momentum, and stress. The Higgs field plays a role in giving particles mass and there is a correlation between the Higgs field and
  • #1
jnorman
316
0
okay, i am totally confused (again). i ihave a general understanding that the higgs mechanism is the effect which gives particles mass. the higgs mechanism is determined by the higgs field and mediated by the higgs boson. is that correct so far?

now the HLC indicates that it has somehwat pinned down a potential mass for the higgs boson of around 120gev.

so, a few questions (dont point me at wiki - i read it and cannot understand it...)

1. if the higgs mechanism is what gives particles mass, how can the higgs boson have mass?

2. since the higgs gives particles mass, and is basically a field, what is the relationship between the higgs field and the gravitational field?

3. how can a new particle (higgs) give mass? ie, what is going on - from what i read, the actual boson is short lived, so how is it actually interacting with normal particles like electrons and quarks? is it virtual, like virtual photons? is it a "real" thing that pops into existence to interact and then disappears within the limits of HUP?

i'll stop there for now - my brain is locked up.

thanks.
 
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  • #2
The Higgs mechanism is what permits quarks, leptons and weak bosons to have rest mass in a way which does not violate gauge invariance. This does not mean mass in general, as mass can arise from other sources. The mass of nucleons, for example, comes almost entirely from the kinetic energy of the gluons within it, not the rest mass of the quarks.

The rest mass is an effect produced by the Higgs field, which is universally everywhere and time independent. Not the Higgs boson which has a lifetime of perhaps 10-25 sec and is an excitation of the Higgs field. The Higgs boson has its own mass because of its nonlinear self-interaction.

The gravitational field is not just coupled to mass, it's coupled to the stress-energy tensor which includes energy, momentum and stress. For example gravitation couples to photons, which have no mass.
 
  • #3
thanks bill - so does finding the higgs boson prove the existence of the higgs field? and how do they know that what they are looking at in the 125gev range is actually the higgs boson?

are gluons inherent to the properties of quarks, or are gluons virtual like virtual photons?

isnt the gravitational field created by mass? ie, if there were no mass in the universe, there would be no gravitational field, right? so, if the higgs field is what gives particles mass, there must be some direct correlation between higgs field and gravitational field, right?
 
  • #4
Bill_K said:
The Higgs mechanism is what permits quarks, leptons and weak bosons to have rest mass in a way which does not violate gauge invariance. This does not mean mass in general, as mass can arise from other sources. The mass of nucleons, for example, comes almost entirely from the kinetic energy of the gluons within it, not the rest mass of the quarks.

The rest mass is an effect produced by the Higgs field, which is universally everywhere and time independent. Not the Higgs boson which has a lifetime of perhaps 10-25 sec and is an excitation of the Higgs field. The Higgs boson has its own mass because of its nonlinear self-interaction.

The gravitational field is not just coupled to mass, it's coupled to the stress-energy tensor which includes energy, momentum and stress. For example gravitation couples to photons, which have no mass.


Wow, thanks for this post Bill_K. Very clear, appreciate the distinction you made between forms of mass.
 
  • #5
Bill_K said:
The Higgs mechanism is what permits quarks, leptons and weak bosons to have rest mass in a way which does not violate gauge invariance. This does not mean mass in general, as mass can arise from other sources. The mass of nucleons, for example, comes almost entirely from the kinetic energy of the gluons within it, not the rest mass of the quarks.
Why even call that mass and not instead energy?
 
  • #6
Passionflower said:
Why even call that mass and not instead energy?

Well, you might recall mass-energy equivalence relations. Aka E = mc2.
 
  • #7
Passionflower said:
Why even call that mass and not instead energy?

Because quarks bind together into nucleons, which then bind together into the nucleus of atoms. I would guess that it simply isn't practical to separate a nucleon, nucleus, or atom into rest mass and mass due to the energy.
 
  • #8
Drakkith said:
Because quarks bind together into nucleons, which then bind together into the nucleus of atoms. I would guess that it simply isn't practical to separate a nucleon, nucleus, or atom into rest mass and mass due to the energy.
Frankly I do not see the problem.
I think it would make the confusion between mass and energy less.
 
  • #9
Passionflower said:
Frankly I do not see the problem.
I think it would make the confusion between mass and energy less.

Perhaps, but remember that people have to work with the mass of these particles on a daily basis. What difference does it make to them? The final number they must use is still the same. Besides, in areas which actually deal with quarks and bosons I'm guessing that those people actually do understand why the rest mass of 3 quarks is far less than that of a nucleon as a whole.

Also, consider any system composed of more than one particle. The mass of the system must also include the different types of energy as far as I know.
 
  • #10
Drakkith said:
Because quarks bind together into nucleons, which then bind together into the nucleus of atoms. I would guess that it simply isn't practical to separate a nucleon, nucleus, or atom into rest mass and mass due to the energy.

So is my mass made up of "higgs mass" and "kinetic mass"?
 
  • #11
nitsuj said:
So is my mass made up of "higgs mass" and "kinetic mass"?

In part yes. I don't know if there are other things that contribute to the mass of a nucleon.
 

1. What is the Higgs boson?

The Higgs boson is a subatomic particle that is believed to give other particles their mass. It was predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics and was discovered in 2012 by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

2. How is the Higgs boson related to gravity?

The Higgs boson is not directly related to gravity. However, its existence helps explain why particles have mass, which is a crucial component in the theory of gravity proposed by Albert Einstein.

3. Can the Higgs boson be observed in everyday life?

No, the Higgs boson is not something that can be observed in our everyday lives. It is a subatomic particle that can only be detected and studied using advanced particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider.

4. What is the significance of the discovery of the Higgs boson?

The discovery of the Higgs boson was a major breakthrough in particle physics, as it confirmed the existence of the last missing piece of the Standard Model. It also provides evidence for the mechanism of mass generation in particles and helps us better understand the fundamental forces of our universe.

5. How does the Higgs boson relate to the search for a unified theory of physics?

The Higgs boson is an important piece in the puzzle of understanding the fundamental forces of our universe. Its discovery has provided valuable insights for scientists in the search for a unified theory of physics, which aims to explain how all the forces of nature work together.

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