Higgs field was zero right after Big Bang, could it return to zero?

In summary: If not, you should explain in your A level post what you have understood and what you have not, so that the discussion can focus on what you need to understand better. In summary, the conversation revolves around the Higgs field and its role in providing particles with mass. The universe started with a zero Higgs field after the big bang, but as it cooled, the field grew and particles interacting with it acquired mass. The question is whether the Higgs field can go back to zero and what aspects of the Higgs mechanism and Lagrangian support this claim. To have a meaningful discussion, a valid reference should be provided as a starting point.
  • #1
Tertius
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TL;DR Summary
The Higgs field was zero immediately after the Big Bang and then spontaneously increased, so that all interacting particles became massive. Could the Higgs field value ever return to zero?
Quote from cern: "Just after the big bang, the Higgs field was zero, but as the universe cooled and the temperature fell below a critical value, the field grew spontaneously so that any particle interacting with it acquired a mass."

Can it go back to zero? If anyone has a comment either way, feel free to include what in the Higgs mechanism/Lagrangian supports the claim.
 
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A quote from a web page, even from CERN, attempting to give a flavor of what is happening is not a good start for an A-level thread.
  • Do you know any particle physics? Graduate level?
  • Do you know any cosmology? Graduate level?
If the answer is not "yes" to both, you should tell us where your starting point is, and ask the Mentors to adjust the level accordingly. If your answer is yes to both, please provide an appropriate reference to what you want to discuss.
 
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  • #3
Tertius said:
Quote from cern
As @Vanadium 50 has pointed out, this is not a good reference to give as a basis for an "A" level thread discussion.

Tertius said:
Can it go back to zero? If anyone has a comment either way, feel free to include what in the Higgs mechanism/Lagrangian supports the claim.
The best starting point for investigating this kind of question is not to just throw it out here. It is to first provide a valid reference (textbook or peer-reviewed paper) that explains how the Higgs mechanism works and that can be used as a basis for discussion.

After consulting such a reference, you might find it already answers your question.
 
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